Where does “chaperon” come from?
Chaperon comes from French chaperon, from Old French chape, from Latin cappa, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kauput- meaning head, with the garment named for its head-covering function.
chaperon (English): An adult who accompanies or supervises one or...
Definitions
- An adult who accompanies or supervises one or...
Ancestry of “chaperon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | chaperon | chaperon |
| 2 | Old French | chaperon | a hairstyle popular in the Middle Ages; headscarf... |
| 3 | Old French | chape | cape |
| 4 | Latin | cāppa | cape, cloak |
| 5 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |