I. ˈpräpə(r) adjective
( sometimes -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English propre proper, own, from Old French, from Latin proprius own, particular
1. : marked by suitability, fitness, accord, compatibility: as
a. : naturally suiting, complying with, or relevant to
something mysterious, unreal … something proper to the night — W.H.Hudson †1922
keeping the body tissues in proper condition — Morris Fishbein
b. : sanctioned as according with equity, justice, ethics, or rationale
to administer proper punishment to the perpetrators of these crimes — F.D.Roosevelt
an adverse wind had so delayed him that his cargo brought but half its proper price — Amy Lowell
c. : socially appropriate : according with established traditions and feelings of rightness and appropriateness
a proper reluctance to pronounce final judgments — Times Literary Supplement
the proper ceremony, accompanied by the appropriate spell — J.G.Frazer
d. : acceptable as being qualified or competent : marked by adequate qualification, knowledge, or standards
virtually all fields of human knowledge, necessary for the proper reporting of Washington — F.L.Mott
e. : adequate to the purpose : satisfactory , good , praiseworthy
discovered the true murderer and worked out a proper revenge — Time
amount of spirit … to give him the feeling of a proper drink — Frank O'Connor
the Department of Parks will undoubtedly build some proper parks out there — Joseph Mitchell
f. : special to or appointed for a particular religious day or festival
2.
a. : belonging to one : own
the evidence of one's proper nose — J.L.Lowes
in the early days a leader had to be everything … in his own proper person — G.W.Johnson
b. : belonging or applying to one individual only : distinguishing a person or a thing or a place from all others of the same class : naming without describing
proper noun
proper name
— opposed to common
c. heraldry : represented in natural color — abbr. ppr.
3. : belonging characteristically to a species or individual : distinctive , peculiar
those high and peculiar attributes … which constitute our proper humanity — S.T.Coleridge
insidious ailments proper to tropical climates — George Santayana
4. : very good : excellent , capital
that girl will make a proper wife for some man
5. chiefly Britain : marked by ascribed or designated characterization to a remarkable or extreme degree : utter , absolute
that child is a proper terror
a proper man the champion, for sure
the roads are getting proper death traps — Time
6. chiefly dialect : becoming in appearance : well-formed and handsome
7. : strictly limited or isolated to a specified thing, place, or idea : excluding adjuncts, concomitants, extensions, or allied matters — often used postpositively
the expression “China proper ” … applies to the eighteen provinces that lie south of the Great Wall — Owen & Eleanor Lattimore
their animosity dated back to the Civil War, but the fued proper began in 1880 — A.F.Harlow
8. : marked by rightness, correctness, or rectitude: as
a. : strictly accurate : precisely applicable or pertinent : entirely in accordance with authority, observed facts, or other sanction : correct
various proper ways of pronouncing a large number of words in our language — M.M.Mathews
it was proper to say that … most Americans belonged to the middle class — H.S.Commager
b. archaic : virtuous , respectable
a proper gentlewoman — Shakespeare
c. : marked by occasionally prissy and too strict conformity to ethical standards, social conventions, or sanctioned usages
mustn't sing that sort of song in company. We're oh! so proper — George Meredith
their women so proper that no one mentioned babies until they arrived — H.S.Canby
d. : of the upper classes and correct to the point of smug priggishness
she realized that proper people go to sea as passengers on a liner, not as sailors — Hugh MacLennan
ostracized by proper folk — American Guide Series: Massachusetts
9. : being a mathematical subset that does not contain all the elements of the inclusive set from which it is derived
Synonyms: see decorous , fit
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English propre, from propre, adjective
1. obsolete : property , possessions
2. obsolete : essential attribute
3. sometimes capitalized
a. : the special divine office for a particular day or festival
the proper for Christmas
— compare common 6
b. : the parts of the mass that vary according to the day or the feast
c. : the part of a missal or breviary containing the offices proper to certain feasts or saints
the proper of the saints
III. adverb
Etymology: Middle English propre, from propre, adjective
1. chiefly dialect : properly
2. chiefly dialect : thoroughly
scolded good and proper