c. 1300, propre, "adapted to some purpose, fit, apt; commendable, excellent" (sometimes ironic), from Old French propre "own, particular; exact, neat, fitting, appropriate" (11c.) and directly from Latin proprius "one's own, particular to itself," from pro privo "for the individual, in particular," from ablative of privus "one's own, individual" (see private (adj.)) + pro "for" (see pro-). Related: Properly; properness. As an adverb, "very exceedingly," from mid-15c., but since 19c. the use is considered vulgar.
From early 14c. as "belonging or pertaining to oneself; individual; intrinsic;" also as "pertaining to a person or thing in particular, special, specific; distinctive, characteristic;" also "what is by the rules, correct, appropriate, acceptable." From early 15c. as "separate, distinct; itself." Meaning "socially appropriate, decent, respectable" is recorded by 1704.
Proper name "name belonging to or relating to the person or thing in question, name given to an individual of a class for distinction from others of the same class" is from c. 1300, a sense also preserved in astronomical proper motion "change in the apparent places of a celestial object in the sky relative to other stars or planets" (c. 1300). Proper noun is from mid-15c.
mid-15c., "not true," from Old French impropre (14c.) and directly from Latin improprius "not proper," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + proprius (see proper). Meaning "not suited, unfit" is from 1560s; that of "not in accordance with good manners, modesty, or decency" is from 1739. Related: Improperly (late 14c.).
early 15c., appropriaten, "take possession of, take exclusively," from Late Latin appropriatus, past participle of appropriare, adpropriare "to make one's own," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + propriare "take as one's own," from proprius "one's own" (see proper). Related: Appropriated; appropriating.
late 14c., appropriacioun, "the taking of (something) as private property," from Late Latin appropriationem (nominative appropriatio) "a making one's own," noun of action from past-participle stem of appropriare "to make one's own," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + propriare "take as one's own," from proprius "one's own" (see proper).
The meaning "act of setting aside for some purpose" (especially of money) is attested by 1727.
"to hold no longer as one's own, give up a claim to the exclusive property of," 1610s, back-formation from expropriation, or from earlier adjective (mid-15c.), or from Medieval Latin expropriatus, past participle of expropriare "deprive of property, deprive of one's own," from ex "away from" (see ex-) + propriare "take as one's own," from proprius "one's own" (see proper). Related: Expropriated; expropriating.
mid-15c., "renunciation of worldly goods," from Medieval Latin expropriationem (nominative expropriatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Late Latin expropriare "deprive of property," from ex "away from" (see ex-) + propriare "take as one's own," from proprius "one's own" (see proper). Sense of "a taking of someone's property," especially for public use, is from 1848; as Weekley puts it, "Current sense of organized theft appears to have arisen among Ger. socialists."
a slang shortening of proper respects (or something similar), c. 1999; see proper. As the nickname of the properties manager of a theater by 1831 (see prop (n.2)). Also the name of a gambling game played with shells in vogue in the 1850s, especially in Boston.
It was, in effect, a crude sort of dice-throwing. Small shells were partially ground down and their hollows filled with sealing-wax. Four of these shells were shaken in the hand and thrown on a table, the stake being won or lost according to the number of red or white sides coming up. [Century Dictionary]
c. 1300, properte, "nature, quality, distinctive character always present in an individual or class," later "possession, land or goods owned, things subject to ownership" (early 14c., but this sense is rare before 17c.), from an Anglo-French modification of Old French proprete, "individuality, peculiarity; property" (12c., Modern French propreté) and directly from Latin proprietatem (nominative proprietas) "ownership, a property, propriety, quality," literally "special character" (a loan-translation of Greek idioma), noun of quality from proprius "one's own, special" (see proper). Compare propriety, which is another form of the same French word.
For "possessions, private property" Middle English sometimes used proper goods. Hot property "sensation, a success" is from 1947 in stories in Billboard magazine.
