Main Entry: ¹chap·er·one

Variant(s): or chap·er·on \ˈsha-pə-ˌrōn\

Function: noun

Etymology: French chaperon, literally, hood, from Middle French, head covering, from chape

Date: 1720

1 : a person (as a matron) who for propriety accompanies one or more young unmarried women in public or in mixed company
2 : an older person who accompanies young people at a social gathering to ensure proper behavior; broadly : one delegated to ensure proper behavior
3 : any of a class of proteins that facilitate the proper folding of proteins by binding to and stabilizing unfolded or partially folded proteins —called also molecular chaperone