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Webster 1913 Edition


Proper

Prop′er

,
Adj.
[OE.
propre
, F.
propre
, fr. L.
proprius
. Cf.
Appropriate
.]
1.
Belonging to one; one’s own; individual.
“His proper good” [i. e., his own possessions].
Chaucer.
“My proper son.”
Shak.
Now learn the difference, at your
proper
cost,
Betwixt true valor and an empty boast.
Dryden.
2.
Belonging to the natural or essential constitution; peculiar; not common; particular;
as, every animal has his
proper
instincts and appetites
.
Those high and peculiar attributes . . . which constitute our
proper
humanity.
Coleridge.
3.
Befitting one's nature, qualities, etc.; suitable in all respect; appropriate; right; fit; decent;
as, water is the
proper
element for fish; a
proper
dress.
The
proper
study of mankind is man.
Pope.
In Athens all was pleasure, mirth, and play,
All
proper
to the spring, and sprightly May.
Dryden.
4.
Becoming in appearance; well formed; handsome.
[Archaic]
“Thou art a proper man.”
Chaucer.
Moses . . . was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a
proper
child.
Heb. xi. 23.
5.
Pertaining to one of a species, but not common to the whole; not appellative; – opposed to
common
;
as, a
proper
name; Dublin is the
proper
name of a city.
6.
Rightly so called; strictly considered;
as, Greece
proper
; the garden
proper
.
7.
(Her.)
Represented in its natural color; – said of any object used as a charge.
In proper
,
individually; privately.
[Obs.]
Jer. Taylor.
Proper flower
or
Proper corolla
(Bot.)
,
one of the single florets, or corollets, in an aggregate or compound flower.
Proper fraction
(Arith.)
a fraction in which the numerator is less than the denominator.
Proper nectary
(Bot.)
,
a nectary separate from the petals and other parts of the flower.
Proper noun
(Gram.)
,
a name belonging to an individual, by which it is distinguished from others of the same class; – opposed to
common noun
; as, John, Boston, America.
Proper perianth
or
Proper involucre
(Bot.)
,
that which incloses only a single flower.
Proper receptacle
(Bot.)
,
a receptacle which supports only a single flower or fructification.

Prop′er

,
adv.
Properly; hence, to a great degree; very;
as,
proper
good
.
[Colloq & Vulgar]

Webster 1828 Edition


Proper

PROP'ER

,
Adj.
[L. proprius, supposed to be allied to prope, near.]
1.
Peculiar; naturally or essentially belonging to a person or thing; not common. That is not proper, which is common to many. Every animal has his proper instincts and inclinations, appetites and habits. Every muscle and vessel of the body has its proper office. Every art has it proper rules. Creation is the proper work of an Almighty Being.
2.
Particularly suited to. Every animal lives in his proper element.
3.
One's own. It may be joined with any possessive pronoun; as our proper son.
Our proper conceptions.
Now learn the difference at your proper cost.
[Note. Own is often used in such phrases; 'at your own proper cost.' This is really tautological, but sanctioned by usage, and expressive of emphasis.]
4.
Noting an individual; pertaining to one of a species, but not common to the whole; as a proper name. Dublin is the proper name of a city.
5.
Fit; suitable; adapted; accommodated. A thin dress is not proper for clothing in a cold climate. Stimulants are proper remedies for debility. Gravity of manners is very proper for persons of advanced age.
In Athens, all was pleasure,mirth and play
All proper to the spring and sprightly May.
6.
Correct; just; as a proper word; a proper expression.
7.
Not figurative.
8.
Well formed; handsome.
Moses was a proper child. Heb.11.
9.
Tall; lusty; handsome with bulk. [Low and not used.]
10. In vulgar language, very; as proper good; proper sweet. [This is very improper, as well as vulgar.]
Proper receptacle, in botany, that which supports only a single flower or fructification; proper perianth or involucre, that which incloses only a single flower; proper flower or corol, one of the single florets or corollets in an aggregate or compound flower; proper nectary, separate form the petals and other parts of the flower.

Definition 2024


proper

proper

See also: pro per

English

Alternative forms

Adjective

proper (comparative more proper, superlative most proper)

  1. (heading) Suitable.
    1. Suited or acceptable to the purpose or circumstances; fit, suitable. [from 13thc.]
      the proper time to plant potatoes
      • Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
        The proper study of mankind is man.
      • 2014 June 14, It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:
        One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.
    2. Following the established standards of behavior or manners; correct or decorous. [from 18thc.]
      a very proper young lady
      • 1915, Emerson Hough, The Purchase Price, chapterI:
        This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. [] Indeed, all his features were in large mold, like the man himself, as though he had come from a day when skin garments made the proper garb of men.
  2. (heading) Possessed, related.
    1. (grammar) Used to designate a particular person, place, or thing. Proper words are usually written with an initial capital letter. [from 14thc.]
    2. Pertaining exclusively to a specific thing or person; particular. [from 14thc.]
    3. (usually postpositive) In the strict sense; within the strict definition or core (of a specified place, taxonomic order, idea, etc).
      • 1893, Annual of the Universal Medical Sciences:
        These are divided into two great families, the vipers proper (Viperidae) and the pit-vipers (Crotalidae).
      • 1976, Eu-Yang Kwang, The political reconstruction of China, page 165:
        Siberia, though it stands outside the territorial confines of Russia proper, constitutes an essentially component part [] . Outer Mongolia, [so called] to distinguish it from Inner Mongolia, which lies nearer to China proper, revolted and declared its independence.
      • 2004, Stress, the Brain and Depression, page 24:
        Hence, this border is still blurred, raising the question whether traumatic life events induce sadness/distress – which is self-evident – or depression proper and, secondly, whether sadness/distress is a precursor or pacemaker of depression.
      • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:proper.
    4. (archaic) Belonging to oneself or itself; own. [from 14thc.]
    5. (heraldry) Portrayed in natural or usual coloration, as opposed to conventional tinctures. [from 16thc.]
    6. (mathematics, physics) Eigen-; designating a function or value which is an eigenfunction or eigenvalue. [from 20thc.]
  3. (heading) Accurate, strictly applied.
    1. Excellent, of high quality; such as the specific person or thing should ideally be. (Now often merged with later senses.) [from 14thc.]
      Now that was a proper breakfast.
    2. (now regional) Attractive, elegant. [from 14thc.]
      • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts VII:
        The same tyme was Moses borne, and was a propper [transl. ἀστεῖος (asteîos)] childe in the sight of God, which was norisshed up in his fathers housse thre monethes.
    3. (often postpositive) In the very strictest sense of the word. [from 14thc.]
      • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, Episode 16:
        Though unusual in the Dublin area he knew that it was not by any means unknown for desperadoes who had next to nothing to live on to be abroad waylaying and generally terrorising peaceable pedestrians by placing a pistol at their head in some secluded spot outside the city proper [].
    4. (now colloquial) Utter, complete. [from 15thc.]
      When I realized I was wearing my shirt inside out, I felt a proper fool.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Adverb

proper (not comparable)

  1. (Scotland) properly; thoroughly; completely
    • 1964, Saint Andrew Society (Glasgow, Scotland), The Scots magazine: Volume 82
      Don't you think you must have looked proper daft?
  2. (nonstandard, slang) properly
    • 2012, Soufside, Hello (song)
      When I meet a bad chick, know I gotta tell her hello
      talk real proper, but she straight up out the ghetto

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: tears · expected · considered · #757: proper · writing · allowed · per

Anagrams


Catalan

Adjective

proper m (feminine propera, masculine plural propers, feminine plural properes)

  1. near, close
  2. neighbouring
  3. next

Synonyms

Related terms


Danish

Etymology

From French propre (clean, house-trained, own), from Latin proprius (own).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /proːbər/, [ˈpʰʁ̥oːˀb̥ɐ]

Adjective

proper

  1. cleanly
  2. tidy

Inflection

Inflection of proper
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular proper 2
Neuter singular propert 2
Plural propre 2
Definite attributive1 propre
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Derived terms

References


Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈproː.pər/
  • Hyphenation: pro‧per

Etymology

From Middle Dutch proper, from Old French propre, from Latin proprius.

Adjective

proper (comparative properder, superlative properst)

  1. (chiefly Belgium) clean

Inflection

Inflection of proper
uninflected proper
inflected propere
comparative properder
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial proper properder het properst
het properste
indefinite m./f. sing. propere properdere properste
n. sing. proper properder properste
plural propere properdere properste
definite propere properdere properste
partitive propers properders

Synonyms

  1. netjes, rein, zindelijk.
  2. (Netherlands) schoon.

German

Etymology

Ultimately from Old French propre, from Latin proprius. Probably borrowed in north-western dialects via Middle Dutch proper [13th c., sense: 15th c.], later generalized under the influence of modern French propre. The colloquial euphemism for “chubby” may, in part, be due to association with Proppen (whence also proppenvoll and Wonneproppen).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpʁɔpɐ/

Adjective

proper (comparative properer, superlative am propersten)

  1. (somewhat informal) in good condition: clean; neat; well-kept; developed
    Bis vor Kurzem herrschte hier bittere Armut, aber jetzt ist es ein ganz properes Städtchen geworden.
    Until recently bitter poverty prevailed around here, but now it’s become rather a neat little town.
  2. (colloquial, euphemistic) overweight; chubby
    Die Linda war doch immer so’ne Schlanke, aber jetzt sieht sie ziemlich proper aus.
    Linda was always a slender one, but now she looks pretty chubby.

Declension


Old French

Adjective

proper m (oblique and nominative feminine singular proper)

  1. (rare) Alternative form of propre
    • Or a mai entendez Ki proper volunté amez, Set Pechez 70