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Glite Dictionary
pinny

pinny

1 9.1
A cloth like an apron worn over clothes to keep them clean
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪni/
  • UK
translation icon : delantal
  • The chef fastened her pinny tightly to avoid any spills while preparing the meal.

Examples

  • Before starting the art project, he put on a pinny to protect his outfit.

  • Whips off her pinny as Herbert leads Juliet into the dining room.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • So I have now put on a little like Pinny to protect my dress.

  • I tie on my blue pinny and play as hard and fast as I can.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • I'd put on his mam's pinny if I had to I'd dress him, feed him, clean him - whatever it takes.

    Death Defying Acts (2007)

  • Then, skirts and pinny flying, she was out and down the back stairs, through the kitchen and the stillness of the shadowed yard, around the side of the house to the main garden.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • She wore a colorful pinny while cooking to keep her clothes clean.

Synonyms

overall
vspinny
42 3.9

A loose piece of clothing people wear over other clothes to keep them clean

covers less of the body protecting mainly the front of clothing
jumper
vspinny
  • US
12 3.0

A sleeveless dress worn over a shirt, often by children

is worn specifically to protect outer clothes from dirt or stains
pinafore
vspinny
3 7.0

A sleeveless apron worn over clothes to keep them clean, often by children or in uniforms

is used more generally to protect clothing across ages and tasks

How Protective

coverall
16 4.0
smock
21 5.3
pinny
  • UK
1 9.1
bib
25 1.0

Surface Forms

pinny singular
pinnies plural

Morphology

pinny = pinafore (semi-transparent) = pinafore + y

The form and meaning are derived from the informal/clipped form of 'pinafore' with a diminutive '-y'; the meaning (an apron-like garment) is preserved but the informal formation could mislead learners into thinking it relates to 'pin'.

Etymology

The word pinny is a short form of pinafore, which once meant a cloth 'pinned' to the front, from pin + afore which means 'in front'. So a pinny is an apron you wear over your clothes to keep them clean.