Wiktionary

proper

See also: Proper and pro per

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English propre, from Anglo-Norman proper, propre, Old French propre (French: propre), from Latin proprius.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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proper (comparative more proper, superlative most proper)

  1. Suitable.
    1. Suited or acceptable to the purpose or circumstances; fit, suitable. [13th c.]
      the proper time to plant potatoes
      • 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: Printed for J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC:
        The proper study of mankind is man.
      • 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:
        One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.
    2. Following the established standards of behavior or manners; correct or decorous. [18th c.]
      a very proper young lady
      • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
        This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. […] Indeed, all his features were in large mold, like the man himself, as though he had come from a day when skin garments made the proper garb of men.
      • 2014, Paul Chrystal, Tea: A Very British Beverage:
        The Nippy became a national icon, symbolic of the girl next door, always approachable and proper; […]
    3. (topology, of a function) Such that the preimage of every compact set is compact.
    4. (topology, of a function) Continuous, mapping closed sets to closed sets, and such that the preimage of every point is compact.
    5. (algebraic geometry, of a morphism of schemes) separated, of finite type, and universally closed.
    6. (algebraic geometry, of a variety over a field  ) such that unique morphism from the variety to   is proper (as above).
    7. (mathematical analysis, of a metric space) Such that every closed ball is compact
  2. Possessed, related.
    1. (grammar) Used to designate a particular person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are usually written with an initial capital letter. [14th c.]
    2. Pertaining exclusively to a specific thing or person; particular. [14th c.]
      • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
        , II.1.3:
        They have a proper saint almost for every peculiar infirmity: for poison, gouts, agues […].
      • 1829, James Marsh, Preliminary Essay to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Aids to Reflection
        those higher and peculiar attributes […] which constitute our proper humanity
    3. (usually postpositive) In the strict sense; within the strict definition or core (of a specified place, taxonomic order, idea, etc).
      • 1893, Annual of the Universal Medical Sciences:
        These are divided into two great families, the vipers proper (Viperidae) and the pit-vipers (Crotalidae).
      • 1976, Eu-Yang Kwang, The political reconstruction of China, page 165:
        Siberia, though it stands outside the territorial confines of Russia proper, constitutes an essentially component part […] . Outer Mongolia, [so called] to distinguish it from Inner Mongolia, which lies nearer to China proper, revolted and declared its independence.
      • 2004, Stress, the Brain and Depression, page 24:
        Hence, this border is still blurred, raising the question whether traumatic life events induce sadness/distress – which is self-evident – or depression proper and, secondly, whether sadness/distress is a precursor or pacemaker of depression.
      • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:proper.
    4. Belonging to oneself or itself; own. [14th c.]
      proper motion — proper left — proper right
    5. (heraldry) Portrayed in natural or usual coloration, as opposed to conventional tinctures. [16th c.]
    6. (mathematics) Being strictly part of some other thing (not necessarily explicitly mentioned, but of definitional importance), and not being the thing itself. [20th c.]
      proper subset — proper ideal
    7. (mathematics, physics) Eigen-; designating a function or value which is an eigenfunction or eigenvalue. [20th c.]
  3. Accurate, strictly applied.
    1. Excellent, of high quality; such as the specific person or thing should ideally be. (Now often merged with later senses.) [14th c.]
      Now that was a proper breakfast.
    2. (now regional) Attractive, elegant. [14th c.]
    3. (often postpositive) In the very strictest sense of the word. [14th c.]
      • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 16]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
        Though unusual in the Dublin area he knew that it was not by any means unknown for desperadoes who had next to nothing to live on to be abroad waylaying and generally terrorising peaceable pedestrians by placing a pistol at their head in some secluded spot outside the city proper […].
    4. (now colloquial) Utter, complete. [15th c.]
      When I realized I was wearing my shirt inside out, I felt a proper fool.
    5. (set theory, of a class) Not being a set.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked‌: "right or correct"

Adverb

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proper (not comparable)

  1. (UK, Ireland, colloquial) properly; thoroughly; completely.
    • 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed‎[1]:
      'I thought it was the American Associated Press.' 'Oh, they are on the track, are they?' 'They to-day, and the Times yesterday. Oh, they are buzzing round proper.'
    • 1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 202:
      “Christmas Eve,” said Nabby Adams. “I used to pump the bloody organ for the carols, proper pissed usually.”
    • 1957, Ray Lawler, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Sydney: Fontana Books, published 1974, page 32:
      The kid towelled him up proper.
    • 1964, Saint Andrew Society (Glasgow, Scotland), The Scots magazine: Volume 82
      Don't you think you must have looked proper daft?
  2. (nonstandard, colloquial) properly.
    • 1988, Mary Steele, Mallyroot's Pub at Misery Ponds, Ringwood: Puffin Books, page 68:
      "But it's not many of us as can make 'em proper."
    • 2012, Latta, Soufside, Hello (song)
      When I meet a bad chick, know I gotta tell her hello
      talk real proper, but she straight up out the ghetto

Noun

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proper (plural propers)

  1. (obsolete) Something set apart for a special use.
  2. (Christianity) A part of the Christian liturgy that varies according to the date.
    Coordinate term: ordinary (noun)

Anagrams

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Catalan

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Etymology

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From prop +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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proper (feminine propera, masculine plural propers, feminine plural properes)

  1. near, close
    Synonym: pròxim
  2. neighbouring
  3. next
    Synonym: següent

Synonyms

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Further reading

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  • “proper” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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proper

  1. second-person singular imperative of proprat

Danish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French propre (“clean, house-trained, own”), from Latin proprius (“own”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /proːbər/, [ˈpʰʁ̥oːˀb̥ɐ]

Adjective

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proper

  1. cleanly
  2. tidy

Inflection

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Inflection of proper
positive comparative superlative
indefinite common singular proper — —2
indefinite neuter singular propert — —2
plural propre — —2
definite attributive1 propre — —

1 When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2 The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Derived terms

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References

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Dutch

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch proper, from Old French propre, from Latin proprius.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈproː.pər/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: pro‧per

Adjective

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proper (comparative properder, superlative properst)

  1. (chiefly Belgium) clean

Declension

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Declension of proper
uninflected proper
inflected propere
comparative properder
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial proper properder het properst
het properste
indefinite m./f. sing. propere properdere properste
n. sing. proper properder properste
plural propere properdere properste
definite propere properdere properste
partitive propers properders —

Synonyms

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German

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Etymology

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Ultimately from Old French propre, from Latin proprius. Probably borrowed in north-western dialects via Middle Dutch proper [13th c., sense: 15th c.], later generalized under the influence of modern French propre. The colloquial euphemism for “chubby” may, in part, be due to association with Proppen (whence also proppenvoll and Wonneproppen).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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proper (strong nominative masculine singular properer, comparative properer, superlative am propersten)

  1. (somewhat informal, dated) in good condition: clean; neat; well-kept; developed
    Bis vor kurzem herrschte hier bittere Armut, aber jetzt ist es ein ganz properes Städtchen geworden.
    Until recently bitter poverty prevailed around here, but now it’s become rather a neat little town.
  2. (colloquial, euphemistic) overweight; chubby
    Die Linda war doch immer so’ne Schlanke, aber jetzt sieht sie ziemlich proper aus.
    Linda was always a slender one, but now she looks pretty chubby.

Declension

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Positive forms of proper
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist proper sie ist proper es ist proper sie sind proper
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative properer propere properes propere
genitive properen properer properen properer
dative properem properer properem properen
accusative properen propere properes propere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der propere die propere das propere die properen
genitive des properen der properen des properen der properen
dative dem properen der properen dem properen den properen
accusative den properen die propere das propere die properen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein properer eine propere ein properes (keine) properen
genitive eines properen einer properen eines properen (keiner) properen
dative einem properen einer properen einem properen (keinen) properen
accusative einen properen eine propere ein properes (keine) properen
Comparative forms of proper
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist properer sie ist properer es ist properer sie sind properer
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative propererer properere propereres properere
genitive propereren propererer propereren propererer
dative propererem propererer propererem propereren
accusative propereren properere propereres properere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der properere die properere das properere die propereren
genitive des propereren der propereren des propereren der propereren
dative dem propereren der propereren dem propereren den propereren
accusative den propereren die properere das properere die propereren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein propererer eine properere ein propereres (keine) propereren
genitive eines propereren einer propereren eines propereren (keiner) propereren
dative einem propereren einer propereren einem propereren (keinen) propereren
accusative einen propereren eine properere ein propereres (keine) propereren
Superlative forms of proper
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist am propersten sie ist am propersten es ist am propersten sie sind am propersten
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative properster properste properstes properste
genitive propersten properster propersten properster
dative properstem properster properstem propersten
accusative propersten properste properstes properste
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der properste die properste das properste die propersten
genitive des propersten der propersten des propersten der propersten
dative dem propersten der propersten dem propersten den propersten
accusative den propersten die properste das properste die propersten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein properster eine properste ein properstes (keine) propersten
genitive eines propersten einer propersten eines propersten (keiner) propersten
dative einem propersten einer propersten einem propersten (keinen) propersten
accusative einen propersten eine properste ein properstes (keine) propersten

Further reading

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  • “proper” in Duden online
  • “proper” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Old French

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Adjective

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proper m (oblique and nominative feminine singular proper)

  1. (rare) Alternative form of propre
    Or a mai entendez Ki proper volunté amez, Set Pechez 70

Swedish

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Adjective

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proper (comparative proprare, superlative proprast)

  1. neat, tidy
    Synonym: välvårdad
  2. proper (following (strict) established social standards)
    en proper tillställning
    a proper event

Declension

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Inflection of proper
Indefinite positive comparative superlative1
common singular proper proprare proprast
neuter singular propert proprare proprast
plural propra proprare proprast
masculine plural2 propre proprare proprast
Definite positive comparative superlative
masculine singular3 propre proprare propraste
all propra proprare propraste

1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
2 Dated or archaic.
3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

References

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