chaperon

English

Various types of medieval chaperons, from the Larousse encyclopedic dictionary

Alternative forms

• chaperone

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)

1. 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."

2. A type of hood, often ornamental or official, with an attached cape and a tail, later worn as a hat with the face hole put over the top of the head instead.
   • 1655, James Howell, “To the Right Honourable the Lord Mohun”, in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ. Familiar Letters Domestic and Forren. […], 3rd edition, volume (please specify the page), London: […] Humphrey Mos[e]ley, […], →OCLC:

     His head and face cover'd with a chaperon, out of which there are but two holes to look through.

3. 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)

1. To accompany; to escort.
2. To mother.

Translations

to accompany, to escort

• German: begleiten (de), eskortieren (de), beaufsichtigen (de)
• Russian: сопровожда́ть (ru) (soprovoždátʹ)

to mother

• German: bemuttern (de)

Anagrams

• Cape Horn, canephor, car phone, car-phone, carphone

French

Etymology

From Old French, from chape (“head covering”) as the women who acted as chaperones wore head coverings. Equivalent to chape +‎ -eron. More at English cap, cape.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃa.pʁɔ̃/

Noun

chaperon m (plural chaperons)

1. chaperon

Derived terms

• chaperonnage
• chaperonner
• chaperonnier
• Petit Chaperon rouge

Further reading

• “chaperon”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Etymology

From chape.

Noun

chaperon oblique singular, m (oblique plural chaperons, nominative singular chaperons, nominative plural chaperon)

1. a hairstyle popular in the Middle Ages
2. headscarf for a woman
3. (falconry) hood for a bird of prey
4. type of sailing vessel