I. ˈāprən, less often in stand than in substand speech -pə(r) n noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, alteration (resulting from incorrect division of a napron ) of napron, from Middle French naperon, diminutive of nape cloth, tablecloth, modification of Latin mappa napkin — more at map
1.
a. : an article made of cloth, plastic, leather, or other material, usually worn on the front of the body and tied around the waist with strings, and used to protect the clothing, to cover the body, or to adorn a costume
b. : a part of certain official costumes
the apron and gaiters of a bishop — Donn Byrne
2. : a horizontal or vertical cover appended to a structure for protection and often serving also as a brace or decoration: as
a. : an extension of a building material (as trim or flashing) along another surface for the purpose of decorating, hiding unfinished surfaces, or protecting against impact or the elements ; specifically : the lower member under the sill of the interior casing of a window
b.
(1) : a downward extension of the frame of a piece of furniture (as immediately below a table top or chair seat)
(2) : an upward or downward vertical extension of a sink or lavatory
c.
(1) : a strip of planking along the side of a boat
(2) : a reinforcing piece of timber behind the stempost of a boat
d. : a swinging part of a gun shield
e.
(1) : a piece of waterproof cloth or other material spread out (as before the seat of a vehicle) as a protection from rain or mud
(2) : a horizontal or vertical metal shield extending across the front of an automobile below the radiator
f. : a covering or casing (as of sheet metal) for protecting parts of machinery
g. : a strip of leather forming part of the upper of an oxford shoe and extending from the shank over the waist and instep
h. : a canvas jacket fitted over the back of a hen turkey to prevent injury during mating
3.
a. : a device or mechanism serving to move or guide material into or retain it in a desired position: as
(1) : an endless belt for carrying material of any kind — called also traveling apron
(2) : a receptacle for conveying material (as rock) by a cableway and trolley
(3) : a revolving canvas for conveying cut grain (as wheat) to the binding mechanism of a harvester : a platform or elevator canvas
(4) : a flap on which paper pulp is led from the strainer
b.
(1) : a moving lattice for feeding loose fibers to a machine (as in a cotton picker)
(2) : a leather or composition belt operating in conjunction with other devices to draft, rub, or condense roving in preparatory and spinning processes
(3) : a means (as a fabric) for attaching warp threads to the cloth roller in weaving
c.
(1) : a flat plate or lip serving as a chute or deflector in mining engineering
(2) : a copper plate coated with amalgam used outside a stamp battery in gold mining — called also apron plate
(3) : the canvas-covered frame used in a gold miner's cradle to deflect material washed and to catch the fine gold
d.
(1) : the vertical front plate of a lathe carriage that bears the mechanism by which the carriage is moved
(2) : the piece to which the cutting tool of a planer is clamped — called also tool apron
e.
(1) : a metal strip used in turpentining to support the cup and to guide the crude turpentine into it
(2) : a piece of leather or board for conducting loose material (as grain) past an opening (as in a separator)
f. : a broad shallow vat used for evaporating
g. : a strip of often embossed plastic material used to separate the turns of a film rolled up for development in a tank
4. : an anatomical structure that resembles an apron: as
a. : hottentot apron
b.
(1) : the diaphragm or midriff of an animal
(2) : a thick transverse fold of skin on the fore part of the breast or lower part of the neck of a ram
(3) : the fat skin covering the belly of a goose or duck
(4) : the infolded abdomen of a crab
(5) : a frill of especially long hair on the lower throat and chest of a long-haired dog
5. : an extensive usually unconsolidated alluvial, glaciofluvial, eolian, or marine deposit spread outward from an identifiable source : a piedmont alluvial plain : alluvial fan : outwash plain
6.
a. : the part of the stage in front of the proscenium arch and the curtain : forestage
stepped to the apron of the stage and took the bow — Bennett Cerf
b. : the part of the boxing-ring floor that extends beyond the ropes
c. : the part of a golf course immediately surrounding a green
7.
a. : a flat steel plate between a railroad locomotive and tender used as a standing place by the fireman
b.
(1) : the area along the waterfront edge of a pier or wharf used for the direct transfer of cargo between ship's hold and railroad cars
(2) : a bridge structure supporting railroad tracks that connects a car ferry with the tracks extending to land
8.
a. : a shield (as of concrete, planking, or brushwood) along the bank of a river, along a sea wall, or below a dam
b.
(1) : a cover (as of concrete or metal) that protects an inclined surface of a fortification
(2) : a strip of barbed-wire entanglements
c.
(1) : the extensive paved part of an airport located immediately adjacent to the terminal area or hangars and used for loading, unloading, and parking aircraft
(2) : an extensive usually hard-surfaced area ; especially : such an area used for stopping or parking automobiles
9. : a sheet attached to or a space on an invoice for notations or facts relative to payment
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to put an apron on : cover with or as if with an apron