Proper

How to spell proper

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce proper

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does proper mean?

1. adjectiveTruly fitting, correct, or appropriate for a particular purpose or situation.

Proper in a sentence

• The report must be filed using the proper form.

• Wearing proper footwear on the hiking trail prevented blisters.

Where does proper come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Proper comes from the Latin proprius, meaning 'one's own' or 'particular to oneself', the same root that gives us 'property', 'appropriate', and 'proprietor'. The sense developed from 'belonging to one specifically' toward 'fitting, suitable, correct for the thing in question', because what was proper to something was what truly belonged to it. English borrowed the word through Old French propre during the 1300s, where it already carried meanings of 'clean', 'neat', and 'fitting'. Over time English settled on the senses of 'correct or appropriate' and 'genuine or thorough'. The single 'p' in the middle catches some writers who expect a doubled letter, but the spelling simply mirrors the Latin proprius, with one 'p' opening each half of the word.

How the word is built

• proper (from Latin proprius: one's own, special)
• adopted whole into English; no separable affixes in the modern form