The Chaperon

The chaperon was a type of hood worn throughout Western Europe in the Middle Ages. It was especially fashionable in 15th-century Burgundy. The French verb chaperonner, meaning "to cover with a hood," was derived from the name of the headgear and later came to mean "to protect." Under the influence of the verb sense, the French noun chaperon came to mean "escort," a meaning that was borrowed into English by the early 1700s. Why was Joan of Arc denounced for wearing a chaperon? More...