APRON

noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, alteration (resulting from false division of a n~) of n~, from Middle French naperon, diminutive of nape cloth, modification of Latin mappa napkin Date: 15th century a garment usually of cloth, plastic, or leather usually tied around the waist and used to protect clothing or adorn a costume, something that suggests or resembles an ~ in shape, position, or use: as, the lower member under the sill of the interior casing of a window, an upward or downward vertical extension of a bathroom fixture (as a sink or tub), an endless belt for carrying material, an extensive fan-shaped deposit of detritus, the part of the stage in front of the proscenium arch, the area along the waterfront edge of a pier or wharf, a shield (as of concrete or gravel) to protect against erosion (as of a waterway) by water, the extensive paved part of an airport immediately adjacent to the terminal area or hangars, ~ed adjective