chaperon

British  

/ ˈʃæpərənɪdʒ, ˈʃæpəˌrəʊn /

noun

1. (esp formerly) an older or married woman who accompanies or supervises a young unmarried woman on social occasions

2. someone who accompanies and supervises a group, esp of young people, usually when in public places

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verb

1. to act as a chaperon to

Other Word Forms

• chaperonage noun

Etymology

Origin of chaperon

C14: from Old French, from chape hood, protective covering; see _cap

Example Sentences

The three girls aged 13, 10, and 9 arrived early in the morning Thursday, were detained and barred entry into the country along with their cousin chaperon who immigration authorities deemed “inadmissible.”

From Slate • Jul. 19, 2019

Lubin positioned himself as the grownup in the room, the worldly chaperon.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 15, 2018

At the outset, the company plans on offering fully autonomous rides, with a Waymo employee in the car only as a chaperon.

From The Verge • Aug. 21, 2018

Twenty years later, I was in the City of Retail — rather, romance — again, as a chaperon for my teenage daughter’s advanced placement European history class.

From Washington Post • May 25, 2017

Since both the crate and the cushion were very narrow, we were sitting quite close, leaning against two other crates; Mouschi kept us company, so we weren’t without a chaperon.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank