Apple of My Eye

Meaning of Idiom ‘Apple of My (or one’s) Eye’

The apple of one’s eye is a precious, cherished, and beloved person or thing; someone or something that is treasured and adored.

Sentence Examples

“My grandchild is the apple of my eye.”

“I know he has three kids but it seems like the real apple of his eye is his youngest son.”

“I have 40 classic cars in my collection but this one her is the apple of my eye.”

“My niece is such a great kid. She’s the apple of my eye, honestly.”

Origin of Apple of My Eye

This idiom, which has existed since ancient times, has nothing to do with literal fruit but rather has more to do with the eye, itself. It is usually claimed to come directly from the Bible, where it appears several times such as when God called the Israelites the apple of His eye. However, these were English translations of a phrase the Bible did not originally use, meaning that the idiom existed independently of the Bible, in English.

In reality, this very old idiom comes a mistaken belief about anatomy. In ancient times, people believed that the pupil, rather than just being round, was actually spherical. They thought it was a solid ball in the middle of the eye. It was thus related to any piece of round fruit. The word apple could have originally referred to any type of fruit. It has cognates in all Germanic languages.  The round pupil was seen as quite significant in ancient times. It was believed to be the center of vision and of extreme importance to our body, health, and well-being. Some may have even believed it was the seat of the soul.

Therefore, the pupil, or ‘the apple of the eye” was something seen as precious and worth guarding and protecting. Even as the center of vision it could be considered this important, and humans do instinctively protect their eyes from sunlight, blows, and other threats. So, the apple of one’s eye became a symbol for something precious and cherished.

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