Note E75 — 17.

"Aperne is an old provincial pronunciation, adopted from a still older napern or nappern; and Halliwell observes, that nappern is still the pronunciation in the North of England. This word is interesting as illustrating two points: (1) the shifting of r, so that the various pronunciations of apern and apron correspond to the variations brid for bird, and burd for bride; and (2) the loss of the initial n; for apron is for Fr. naperon, a large napkin; see Roquefort and Wedgwood. Naperon, without n and e, is apron; without n and o, it is apern."—Rev. Walter W. Skeat in N. & Q. 1869.