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Definition of properness - 3 dictionary results

prop⋅er

  [prop-er]
Use properness in a Sentence
–adjective
1. adapted or appropriate to the purpose or circumstances; fit; suitable: the proper time to plant strawberries.
2. conforming to established standards of behavior or manners; correct or decorous: a very proper young man.
3. fitting; right: It was only proper to bring a gift.
4. strictly belonging or applicable: the proper place for a stove.
5. belonging or pertaining exclusively or distinctly to a person, thing, or group.
6. strict; accurate.
7. in the strict sense of the word (usually used postpositively): Shellfish do not belong to the fishes proper. Is the school within Boston proper or in the suburbs?
8. Grammar.
a. (of a name, noun, or adjective) designating a particular person or thing and written in English with an initial capital letter, as Joan, Chicago, Monday, American.
b. having the force or function of a proper name: a proper adjective.
9. normal or regular.
10. belonging to oneself or itself; own.
11. Chiefly British Informal. complete or thorough: a proper thrashing.
12. Ecclesiastical. used only on a particular day or festival: the proper introit.
13. Heraldry. (of a device) depicted in its natural colors: an oak tree proper.
14. Informal.
a. excellent; capital; fine.
b. good-looking or handsome.
15. Mathematics. (of a subset of a set) not equal to the whole set.
16. Archaic. of good character; respectable.
–adverb
17. Informal. thoroughly; completely.
–noun
18. Ecclesiastical. a special office or special parts of an office appointed for a particular day or time.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME propre < OF < L proprius one's own

Related forms:
prop⋅er⋅ly, adverb
prop⋅er⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. suited. 2, 3. meet, befitting, becoming, decent, polite. 5. special, individual, peculiar. 6. precise, exact, just, formal.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To properness
prop·er   (prŏp'ər)   
adj.  

  1. Characterized by appropriateness or suitability; fitting: the proper knife for cutting bread; not a proper moment for a joke.

  2. Called for by rules or conventions; correct: the proper form for a business letter.

  3. Strictly following rules or conventions, especially in social behavior; seemly: a proper lady; a proper gentleman.

    1. Belonging to one; own: restored to his proper shape by the magician.

    2. Characteristically belonging to the being or thing in question; peculiar: an optical effect proper to fluids.

  5. Being within the strictly limited sense, as of a term designating something: the town proper, excluding the suburbs.

  6. Ecclesiastical For use in the liturgy of a particular feast or season of the year.

  7. Mathematics Of or relating to a subset of a given set when the set has at least one element not in the subset.

  8. Worthy of the name; true: wanted a proper dinner, not just a snack.

  9. Out-and-out; thorough: a proper whipping.

adv.  Thoroughly: beat the eggs good and proper.
n.   Ecclesiastical also Proper
The parts of the liturgy that vary according to the particular feast or season of the year.

[Middle English propre, from Old French, from Latin proprius; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
prop'er·ly adv., prop'er·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: prop·er
Function: adjective
: marked by fitness or correctness; especially : being in accordance with established procedure, law, jurisdiction, or standards of care, fairness, and justice proper purpose for examining its records> —prop·er·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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