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Definition of pinafore - 3 dictionary results

pin⋅a⋅fore

[pin-uh-fawr, -fohr]
–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.
a. a large apron worn by adults.
b. a sleeveless smock.

Origin:
1775–85; pin + afore
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pinafore
pin·a·fore   (pĭn'ə-fôr', -fōr')   
n.  A sleeveless garment similar to an apron, worn especially by small girls as a dress or an overdress.

[pin + afore (so called because formerly pinned to the front of the dress).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pinafore 
"sleeveless apron worn by children," 1782, from pin (v.) + afore "on the front." So called because it was originally pinned to a dress front.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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