pinafore

American  

[pin-uh-fawr, -fohr] / ˈpɪn əˌfɔr, -ˌfoʊr /

noun

1. a child's apron, usually large enough to cover the dress and sometimes trimmed with flounces.

2. a woman's sleeveless garment derived from it, low-necked, tying or buttoning in the back, and worn as an apron or as a dress, usually over a blouse, a sweater, or another dress.

3. Chiefly British.

   1. a large apron worn by adults.

   2. a sleeveless smock.

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pinafore British  

/ ˈpɪnəˌfɔː /

noun

1. an apron, esp one with a bib

2. short for pinafore dress

3. an overdress buttoning at the back

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Etymology

Origin of pinafore

First recorded in 1775–85; pin + afore

Explanation

A little girl in a British novel might wear a pinafore — a white, apron-like garment worn over a dress — but you probably won't see pinafores on the runways. The word pinafore, designating a sleeveless child's dress worn over other clothing, has moved on from its original meaning, which can still be seen lurking in the word itself. It was originally a protective apron "pinned afore," or over, one's clothes. These days, a pinafore is primarily worn by a young girl, and in Britain it's called a pinny for short.

Example Sentences

“I love the scale of the check. I thought it harked back to the original pinafore she wore in the first ‘Beetlejuice,’” says Atwood.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2024

Later, sequined pinafore dresses were paired with knee-high boots and tops featured long pockets hanging like scarves.

From Reuters • Mar. 7, 2022

She now collects items from parents across the area and helps get them to families who need anything from a new blazer for high school to a pinafore for winter term.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2021

The audience seems equal parts dazzled and confused by the combination of lonely desperation and Buffy the Vampire Slayer obsession she presents, in cropped hair and pinafore dress.

From The Guardian • Mar. 15, 2020

I put on my cleanest dress and the pinafore, which I hung on a branch by the side of the house to dry after we did the washing on Sunday.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• apparel
• attire
• costume
• ensemble
• frock
• garb
• gown
• robe
• skirt
• smock
• suit
• uniform
• wardrobe