| propriety | 1. Individual right to hold property; ownership by personal title; property. "Onles this propriety be exiled." "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. "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," Origin: F. Propriete, L. Proprietas, fr. Proprius one's own, proper. See Property, Proper. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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