apple of one's eye


noun

something or someone very precious or dear: His new baby girl was the apple of his eye.

Origin of apple of one's eye

orig. in reference to the pupil of one's eye (in OE simply æppel; compare Old High German apful with similar sense); later misunderstood

Cultural definitions for apple of one's eye

apple of one's eye

The favorite object of a person's love or affection: “Linda was fond of all the horses on the ranch, but the little palomino was the apple of her eye.”

Idioms and Phrases with apple of one's eye

apple of one's eye

Special favorite, beloved person or thing, as in The youngest was the apple of his father's eye. This term, which rests on the ancients' idea that the eye's pupil is apple-shaped and that eyes are particularly precious, appears in the Bible (Deuteronomy 32:10). [Early 1600s]