apron
UK[ˈeɪprən]US[ˈeɪprən]
n
A piece of clothing worn over the front of the body to protect your clothes from dirt, damage, etc., especially while cooking or working.
n
A hard surface on an airfield where aircraft are parked, loaded, or maintained.
n
The part of a stage in a theater that extends in front of the curtain.
Etymology
The word 'apron' originates from the Old French 'naperon', meaning a small tablecloth or napkin, derived from 'nape' (cloth). In the 14th century, it entered Middle English as 'napron'. Through a linguistic process called juncture loss, the phrase "a napron" was misheard as "an apron," permanently altering the word's initial letter. This shift severed the visible connection to its Latin root 'mappa' (cloth, napkin). Over time, its meaning specialized from a general piece of cloth to the specific protective garment worn over clothes.
Analysis
This is a simplex word. Its form has been altered through a process called rebracketing or false splitting ("a napron" became "an apron"). The core morpheme is from Old French 'naperon', a diminutive of 'nape' (tablecloth), from Latin 'mappa' (napkin, cloth).
Examples
She tied her apron before starting to bake the bread.
The ground crew directed the plane to its stand on the airport apron.
The actor delivered a monologue from the apron, close to the audience.