chaperon
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From French chaperon (“hood”), from Middle French, "head covering", from Old French chape
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈʃæ.pəˌɹəʊn/
Noun
chaperon (plural chaperons)
- An adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young, unmarried men or women during social occasions, usually with the specific intent of preventing some types of social or sexual interactions or illegal behavior.
- 1908, E. M. Forster, “I”, in A Room with a View:
- "I am, as it were," she concluded, "the chaperon of my young cousin, Lucy, and it would be a serious thing if I put her under an obligation to people of whom we know nothing. His manner was somewhat unfortunate. I hope I acted for the best."
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- A hood, especially, an ornamental or official hood.
- Howell
- His head and face covered with a chaperon, out of which there are but two holes to look through.
- Howell
- A device placed on the foreheads of horses which draw the hearse in pompous funerals.
Translations
an adult who accompanies unmarried men or women — see chaperone
Verb
chaperon (third-person singular simple present chaperons, present participle chaperoning, simple past and past participle chaperoned)
Translations
to accompany, to escort
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French
Etymology
From Old French, from chape (“head covering”) as the women who acted as chaperones wore head coverings. More at English cap, cape
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʃa.pʁɔ̃/
Related terms
- chaperonnage
- chaperonner
- chaperonnier
Further reading
- “chaperon” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Old French
Etymology
From chape
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