apron (n.)

English once had napron, borrowed from French naperon, a word for a small cloth. In English it came to mean a covering worn over clothes to protect them.¹

Say “a napron” aloud. The same sounds can be divided as “an apron.” Over time, speakers attached the initial n to the article, and the shortened form became established. Edinburgh records from 1508 already contain the spelling apronis.¹²

The older form survived elsewhere. The Dictionaries of the Scots Language records napron and related spellings with their initial n intact, and notes their use in northern English dialects too. The change spread unevenly, leaving different versions of the same word in use.³

She wiped the flour from her hands onto her apron.