a·pron / ˈāprən/ • n. 1. a protective or decorative garment worn over the front of one's clothes and tied at the back. ∎  a similar garment worn as part of official dress, as by an Anglican bishop or a Freemason. ∎  a sheet of lead worn to shield the body during an X-ray examination.2. a small area adjacent to another larger area or structure: a tiny apron of garden. ∎  a hard-surfaced area on an airfield used for maneuvering or parking aircraft. ∎  a projecting strip of stage for playing scenes in front of the curtain. ∎  a broadened area of pavement at the end of a driveway. ∎  the outer edge or border of a golf green. ∎  Geol. an extensive outspread deposit of sediment, typically at the foot of a glacier or mountain.3. an object resembling an apron, in particular: ∎  a covering protecting an area or structure, for example, from water erosion. ∎  an endless conveyor made of overlapping plates: [as adj.] apron feeders bring coarse ore to a grinding mill.PHRASES: (tied to) someone's apron strings (too much under) the influence and control of someone.

apron.
1. Panel below a window-cill, often carved and enriched.

2. In an apron- or curtain-wall, a spandrel or infill-panel between a window-cill above and a window-head below, as in a tall building.

3. Ornamental work below the cornice or eaves of a verandah, i.e. valance.

apron XV. Evolved by misdivision of a napron as an apron (cf. ADDER); ME. napron, -(o)un (XIV) — OF. naperon (mod. napperon), f. nape, nappe table-cloth (see NAPKIN).