chaperon
chaperon Lexical Profile
chaperon Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An older or responsible person who accompanies and supervises young or unmarried people at social gatherings, dances, or on trips to ensure proper behavior and safety.
"The high school required at least four parent chaperons to accompany the students on the overnight field trip."
A versatile medieval hood or headdress worn across Western Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries, originally consisting of a cape and hood combined and later styled into an elaborate turban-like head covering.
"In the 15th-century Flemish portrait, the merchant wears a richly draped crimson chaperon atop his head."
• verb
To accompany and supervise (a young or unmarried person, or a group of students) at a social event or on an outing in order to ensure safety and propriety.
"Several teachers volunteered to chaperon the eighth-grade dance on Friday evening."
Word Nuance & Usage
Both "chaperon" and "chaperone" are accepted spellings for the social supervisor and verb senses, though "chaperone" is more common in modern everyday English; however, the historical medieval hood and the biochemical protein senses are almost exclusively spelled "chaperon" or "chaperone" depending on the specific discipline.
• Rhymes for chaperon
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French "chaperon", meaning a hood or cowl worn for protection, a diminutive of "chape" (cape or hood) from Late Latin "cappa". The sense of a social protector developed figuratively in the early 18th century from the idea of a hood shielding the wearer.