Pro*pri"e*ty (?), n.; pl. Proprieties (#). [F. propri'et'e, L. proprietas, fr. proprius one's own, proper. See Property, Proper.]

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 zoographers, . . . 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.

 

© Webster 1913.