An apron is a protective garment you wear over your clothes, typically tied around your waist and chest, to keep your clothing clean while cooking, painting, working with clay, or doing other messy activities. Picture a baker pulling fresh bread from the oven while wearing a flour-dusted apron, or a potter shaping clay on a wheel with an apron protecting their clothes from wet splashes.

Aprons have been used for centuries by people in many different professions. Blacksmiths wear heavy leather aprons to protect against sparks and heat. Scientists might wear lab aprons when conducting experiments with chemicals. At home, someone making spaghetti sauce might tie on an apron to avoid tomato splatters on their shirt.

The word also appears in some specialized contexts. On an airport runway, the apron is the paved area where planes park, load passengers, and refuel. In a theater, the apron is the part of the stage that extends toward the audience, in front of the main curtain.

When someone is tied to their mother's apron strings, it means they depend too much on their mother and haven't learned to do things independently. This phrase comes from children literally holding onto a parent's apron while learning to walk or staying close in the kitchen.