<P> The phrase apple of my eye refers to something or someone that one cherishes above all others . </P> <P> The Bible references below (from the King James Version, translated in 1611) contain the English idiom "apple of my eye ." However the "apple" reference comes from English idiom, not biblical Hebrew . The Hebrew literally says, "dark part of the eye ." The Hebrew idiom also refers to the pupil, and has the same meaning, but does not parallel the English use of "apple ." </P> <P> The earliest appearance of the term is found in King Alfred's writing in the ninth century AD . Originally this term simply referred to the "aperture at the centre of the human eye" viz . the pupil . This appears to be the meaning Shakespeare used in his 1590s play A Midsummer Night's Dream . In the play, the fairy character Robin Goodfellow has acquired a flower that was once hit by Cupid's arrow, imbuing it with magical love - arousing properties, and drops juice of this flower into a young sleeping man's eyes, saying "Flower of this purple dye, / Hit with Cupid's archery, / Sink in apple of his eye". </P> <P> It also appears in the King James Bible translation from 1611: </P>

Where does the expression apple of my eye come from