propriety Meaning, Definition & Usage

Pro*pri"e*ty noun

Etymology

F. propriété, L. proprietas, fr. proprius one's own, proper. See Property, Proper.

Wordforms

plural Proprieties

Definitions

1. Individual right to hold property; ownership by personal title; property. Obs. "Onles this propriety be exiled." Robynson (More's Utopia).

   So are the proprieties of a wife to be disposed of by her lord, and yet all are for her provisions, it being a part of his need to refresh and supply hers. Jer. Taylor.

2. That which is proper or peculiar; an inherent property or quality; peculiarity. Obs. Bacon.

   We find no mention hereof in ancient zoögraphers, . . . who seldom forget proprieties of such a nature. Sir T. Browne.

3. The quality or state of being proper; suitableness to an acknowledged or correct standard or rule; consonance with established principles, rules, or customs; fitness; appropriateness; as, propriety of behavior, language, manners, etc. "The rule of propriety," Locke.