proper
Listen:Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
proper/ˈprɒpə(r)/
▶adjective
- 1 truly what something is said or regarded to be; genuine: she's never had a proper job.
■ [postpos.] strictly so called: the World Cup proper.
- 2 suitable or appropriate; correct.
■ respectable.
- 3 (proper to) belonging or relating exclusively to.
■ (of a psalm, prayer, etc.) appointed for a particular day or occasion.
■ archaic belonging to oneself.
- 4 [usu. postpos.] Heraldry in the natural colours.
- 5 archaic or dialect good-looking.
■ thoroughly.
▶noun the part of a church service that varies with the season or feast.– derivatives
properness noun.
properness noun.
– origin ME: from OFr. propre, from L. proprius ‘one's own, special’.
'proper' also found in these Oxford entries:
antonomasia
- appropriate
- Benthamism
- Blackfoot
- cart
- cavalier
- charge
- common noun
- competent
- diatonic
- displace
- dress
- due
- eigen-
- fire trap
- fitting
- free
- function
- glatt
- hedonism
- Hippocratic oath
- hoof
- impertinent
- irresponsible
- kosher
- lodge
- malnutrition
- meet
- missionary position
- mixed number
- mutiny
- neglect
- neglectful
- negligence
- noun
- onomast
- onomastics
- overwind
- pick
- place
- premature
- proper fraction
- proper motion
- proper noun
- property
- props
- pukka
- real
- reduce
