/2011/07/25/did-you-know-its-a-napron-not-an-apron/
{"item":{"status":"visible","url":"\/2011\/07\/25\/did-you-know-its-a-napron-not-an-apron\/","trash":"","name":"did-you-know-its-a-napron-not-an-apron","parent":"","title":"Did you know: It's a napron, not an apron...","date":"2011-07-25 11:13:19","filepath":"posts\/2000291_did-you-know-its-a-napron-not-an-apron.xml.json","type":"post","content":"<dt>When people heard the term \"napron\", which means small table cloth, they heard \"an apron.\" \u00a0So, as we usually do, we embraced error and accepted \"apron\" as the proper word. \u00a0Interesting!<\/dt> <dt> <\/dt> <dt><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/index.php?term=apron\" target=\"_blank\">apron<\/a> <\/em><\/dt> <dd><em>mid-15c., faulty separation (cf.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/index.php?term=adder\" target=\"_blank\">adder<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/index.php?term=umpire\" target=\"_blank\">umpire<\/a>) of\u00a0a napron\u00a0(c.1300), from O.Fr.\u00a0naperon\u00a0\"small table-cloth,\" dim. of\u00a0nappe\u00a0\"cloth,\" from L.\u00a0mappa\u00a0\"napkin.\"\u00a0Napron\u00a0was still in use as recently as late 16c. The shift of Latin\u00a0-m-\u00a0to\u00a0-n-\u00a0was a tendency in Old French (e.g.\u00a0conter\u00a0from\u00a0computare,\u00a0printemps\u00a0from\u00a0primum,\u00a0natte\u00a0\"mat, matting,\" from\u00a0matta). Symbolic of \"wife's business\" from 1610s.\u00a0Apron-string tenure\u00a0was in ref. to property held in virtue of one's wife, or during her lifetime only.<\/em><\/dd><em>via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/index.php?term=apron\" target=\"_blank\">Online Etymology Dictionary<\/a><\/em>\n\nSomeone told me as a child they thought the word for \"apple\" was \"napple\" since everyone asked, \"Would you like an-apple?\"\nThis would be best called the \"reverse napron.\"<em>\n<\/em>"}}
