Nearby Words
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.
EXPANDbelonging 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.
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.
COLLAPSEArchaic. of good character; respectable.
adverb
17.
Informal. thoroughly; completely.
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Properness
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
noun
18.
Ecclesiastical. a special office or special parts of an office appointed for a particular day or time.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English propre < Old French < Latin proprius one's own
1250–1300; Middle English propre < Old French < Latin proprius one's own
Related forms
prop·er·ly, adverb
prop·er·ness, noun
un·prop·er, adjective
un·prop·er·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. suited. 2, 3. meet, befitting, becoming, decent, polite. 5. special, individual, peculiar. 6. precise, exact, just, formal.
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. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To properness
Collins
World English Dictionary
| proper (ˈprɒpə) | |
| —adj (foll by to) | |
| 1. | (usually prenominal) appropriate or suited for some purpose: in its proper place |
| 2. | correct in behaviour or conduct |
| 3. | excessively correct in conduct; vigorously moral |
| 4. | up to a required or regular standard |
| 5. | (immediately postpositive) (of an object, quality, etc) referred to or named specifically so as to exclude anything not directly connected with it: his claim is connected with the deed proper |
| 6. | belonging to or characteristic of a person or thing |
| 7. | informal (Brit) (prenominal) (intensifier): I felt a proper fool |
| 8. | (usually postpositive) (of heraldic colours) considered correct for the natural colour of the object or emblem depicted: three martlets proper |
| 9. | maths, logic See also strict (of a relation) distinguished from a weaker relation by excluding the case where the relata are identical. For example, every set is a subset of itself, but a proper subset must exclude at least one member of the containing set |
| 10. | archaic pleasant or good |
| —adv | |
| 11. | dialect (Brit) (intensifier): he's proper stupid |
| 12. | informal good and proper thoroughly: to get drunk good and proper |
| —n | |
| 13. | Compare ordinary the parts of the Mass that vary according to the particular day or feast on which the Mass is celebrated |
| [C13: via Old French from Latin prōprius special] | |
| 'properly | |
| —adv | |
| 'properness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
proper
early 13c., "adapted to some purpose, fit, apt," from O.Fr. propre (11c.), from L. proprius "one's own, particular to itself," from pro privo "for the individual." Proper name "belonging to or relating to the person or thing in question," is from late 13c., a sense also preserved in astronomical proper
EXPANDmotion (c.1300). Meaning "socially appropriate" is first recorded 1704.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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