proper

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈprɒp.ə/, US /ˈprɑː.pɚ/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English propre,^[2][3] borrowed from Old French propre (“own, particular; exact, fitting”) and directly from Latin proprius (“one's own, particular to itself”),^[2][4][5] of uncertain origin.^[4] Etymonline and Hoad take it from the phrase prō prīvō (“for the individual, in particular”), from prīvus (“one's own, individual”).^[2][6] It is related to property, propriety and appropriate.^[6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Belonging to oneself, one's own: before 1300 in the OED.^[7] Barnhart dates propre “special, commendable” to probably before 1300, in Kyng Alisaunder,^[4] and Etymonline to about 1300, “fit, apt; commendable, excellent”, sometimes ironic.^[2] In grammar, of a name, it is from about 1290.^[7]

Semantic evolution

“Pertaining to a person or thing in particular, distinctive” and “what is by the rules, correct” are from the early 14th century;^[2] Barnhart dates “one's own” to 1303 and “appropriate, correct” to 1340.^[4] “Thorough, complete” and “excellent, fine” are from the 14th century,^[6] and “separate, distinct, itself”, as in the city proper, from the early 15th century.^[2] The adverb, “very, exceedingly”, is from the mid-15th century, but since the 19th century it has been considered vulgar.^[2] “Socially appropriate, decent, respectable” is first recorded in Swift's apology to A Tale of a Tub (1704).^[4][2] In heraldry, “in its natural colours”, it is from 1572.^[7] The proper noun is from the mid-15th century,^[2] and the proper fraction from 1674.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1290 – of a name, in grammar.^[7]
• before 1300 – one's own; commendable.^[7][4]
• 1340 – appropriate, correct.^[4]
• early 15th century – distinct, itself.^[2]
• mid-15th century – adverb, and proper noun.^[2]
• 1572 – in heraldry.^[7]
• 1674 – proper fraction.^[4]
• 1704 – respectable.^[4][2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Suitable; fitting: the proper tool.
2. Correct according to rules or conventions.
3. Strictly following social conventions; respectable or prim.
4. Belonging to or characteristic of a particular person or thing: proper to the season.
5. In the strict sense, itself: the city proper.
6. (chiefly British, informal) Thorough; complete: a proper mess.

Adverb

1. (informal) Thoroughly: beaten good and proper.

Noun

1. The parts of the liturgy that vary with the feast or season.

Word family

• properly
• properness
• property
• unproper
• proper value
• proper adjective
• proper fraction
• proper noun

Related words

• appropriate
• propriety
• proprietor
• private

Usage notes

In Cornwall dialect proper meant particular, dainty, fastidious.^[8]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)