Etymology

apple of the eye

Today it means: The pupil, or pupil and iris, of the eye, originally believed to be spherical; also, the eyeball. Full definition →

Middle English appel of the eyȝe
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The story

  1. Middle English · derived fromij appel
  2. Middle English · inherited fromappel of the eyȝe
  3. English todayapple of the eye

From Middle English appel of the eyȝe, appel of þe ye, perhaps dissimilated from Middle English ij appel (literally “eye-apple”). More at eye-apple.

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishij appel all →

eye-apple

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.