Meaning
What does Apple of my Eye mean?
Apple of my eye is a colloquial expression used for someone very dear to us; one’s favorite person.
The phrase can also be used synonymously with the word “precious”.
Origin
What's the origin of Apple of my Eye?
While the exact origin of the expression is debated, “apple of my eye” used to be a phrase, referring to the pupils of someone.
It appears several times in the Bible, as well as an Old English translation of the Latin prayer Cura Pastoralis.
It can also be found in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” uttered by Robin Goodfellow in the lines below:
Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid’s archery,
Sink in apple of his eye.
Spread & Usage
How did Apple of my Eye spread?
The earliest instances of the phrase in the Bible appeared in the King James Bible’s 1611 translation.
Over the centuries, the phrase became an idiomatic expression for things and people we value a lot.
“Apple of my eye” was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2005.
External resources
- Nosweatshakespear.com – ‘Apple Of My Eye’, Meaning & Context