Etymologically
Log in

chaperon

Etymology and origin of the English word chaperon

History Permalink

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈʃæ.pəˌɹəʊn/ (UK); /ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French chaperon (“hood; protector”),[2][3][4][5] from Old French chaperon “hood, cowl”,[2][3][4] a diminutive of chape “cape”,[2][3][4][5] from Late Latin cappa.[3] It is related to cape and cap.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A hood or cap worn by nobles (about 1380; about 1400 in Barnhart).[6][3][4]

Semantic evolution

In French the verb chaperonner “to cover with a hood” came to mean “to protect”, and under its influence the noun came to mean an escort.[2][4] This sense was borrowed into English in 1720,[2][3][4][6] for a married or older woman who accompanies a young unmarried woman in public.[2][6] The English verb is first recorded in 1796, in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.[2][3][6] The general sense of an escort or guide is from 1874.[6]

Timeline

  • about 1380 – a hood.[6]
  • 1720 – a woman accompanying a young unmarried woman.[2][3][4][6]
  • 1796 – verb, to act as chaperon.[2][3][6]
  • 1874 – an escort or guide.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person, especially an older or married woman, who accompanies a young unmarried woman in public.
  2. An adult who supervises young people at a social gathering, such as a school dance.
  3. A guide or companion whose purpose is to ensure propriety or restrict activity.
  4. A hood with a cape, worn in the Middle Ages.

Verb

  1. To act as chaperon to; to escort.

Word family

  • chaperonage
  • chaperonless
  • chaperone
  • cape
  • cap

Usage notes

The spelling chaperone is also common;[3][5] the OED, quoted by Etymonline, says English writers adopted it in the mistaken belief that a feminine ending was needed.[4]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Chaperon.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/chaperon. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·