Etymologically
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proper

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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

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)