<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> 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>
where does the expression apple of my eye come from
where does the expression apple of my eye come from
in King Alfred 's writing in the ninth century AD
in King Alfred 's writing in the ninth century AD