Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. It is worn for hygienic reasons and to protect clothes from wear and tear, and it is commonly part of the uniform of several work categories, including waitresses, nurses and domestic staff, as well as being worn decoratively by women. This page explains how apron styles follow their purpose, surveys materials beyond cloth — rubber aprons for work with dangerous chemicals, lead aprons for X-ray technicians near radiation, and pocketed aprons that hold a carpenter's tools — and gives the word's curious origin.
In addition to cloth, aprons can be made from a variety of materials. Rubber aprons are commonly used by persons working with dangerous chemicals, and lead aprons are commonly worn by persons such as X-ray technicians who work near radiation. Aprons, such as those used by carpenters, may have many pockets to hold tools.
The term is also used more generally to refer to an expanse surrounding some object; for example, an airport can have a concrete "apron" around it, where planes and other vehicles can move about.
The word Apron is from the corruption of the term "a napron" into "an apron". The original spelling of napron is lost. (see also "a norange" vs "an orange")
See also
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/apron). 11/10/04 |
Because the apron is defined by what it protects against, its styles divide by trade. Hygiene aprons in food service and nursing form a washable barrier between the worker and splashes, changed as often as cleanliness requires. Hazard aprons go further: rubber resists the chemicals handled in laboratories and processing work, and a lead apron's weight is the point, since the material blocks radiation for the X-ray technicians who wear one near imaging equipment. Working aprons take a third direction — the carpenter's apron is valued less as a shield than as equipment, with many pockets arranged to hold tools at the wearer's front where they can be reached without setting anything down.
Choosing an apron starts with coverage and material. Front coverage protects the clothing that takes the most splashes; a style that ties securely stays in place through a shift; and the material should match the exposure — cloth for ordinary kitchen and household wear, waterproof or chemical-resistant materials where liquids or chemicals are involved. Pockets are worth having only when the work calls for carrying tools or utensils, since unnecessary pockets collect debris. For care, treat the apron as the sacrificial layer it is: wash it as often as its job demands, separately from clothing when it carries grease, soil or chemical residue, and check ties and straps for wear, since a failed tie in a working kitchen or workshop is a hazard of its own. A well-chosen apron extends the life of everything worn underneath it, which has been its economic purpose for as long as it has been a uniform staple.
Aprons are worn for hygienic reasons and to protect the clothes underneath from wear and tear. The apron is commonly part of the uniform of several work categories, including waitresses, nurses and domestic staff, and it is also worn as a decorative garment.
In addition to cloth, aprons can be made from a variety of materials matched to the hazard. Rubber aprons are commonly used by people working with dangerous chemicals, and lead aprons are commonly worn by X-ray technicians and others who work near radiation.
The word apron comes from the corruption of the term a napron into an apron, through the same shift of the letter n heard in a norange becoming an orange. The original spelling of napron is now lost.