adapted or appropriate to the purpose or circumstances; fit; suitable: the proper time to plant strawberries.
conforming to established standards of behavior or manners; correct or decorous: a very proper young man.
fitting; right: It was only proper to bring a gift.
strictly belonging or applicable: the proper place for a stove.
belonging or pertaining exclusively or distinctly to a person, thing, or group.
strict; accurate: proper pronunciation.
in the strict sense of the word (usually used postpositively): Shellfish do not belong to the fishes proper. Is the school within Boston proper or in the suburbs?
Grammar.
(of a name, noun, or adjective) designating a particular person or thing and written in English with an initial capital letter, as Joan, Chicago, Monday, American.
having the force or function of a proper name: a proper adjective.
normal or regular.
belonging to oneself or itself; own.
Chiefly BritishInformal. complete or thorough: a proper thrashing.
Ecclesiastical. used only on a particular day or festival: the proper introit.
Heraldry. (of a device) depicted in its natural colors: an oak tree proper.
Informal.
excellent; capital; fine.
good-looking or handsome.
Mathematics. (of a subset of a set) not equal to the whole set.
Archaic. of good character; respectable.
adverb
Informal. thoroughly; completely.
noun
Ecclesiastical. a special office or special parts of an office appointed for a particular day or time.
Origin of proper
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English propre, from Old French, from Latin proprius “one's own”
Self-isolation in combination with easily available testing could be an excellent way to tamp down both viruses—according to epidemiologists, proper testing is a big factor in helping us return to relative normality.
The COVID-19 pandemic is about to collide with flu season. Here’s what to expect.|Sara Chodosh|August 26, 2020|Popular Science
You know, being able to tell right away if there’s irregular activity and report it to the proper authorities, that’s really an important part of the role that we play.
The Economics of Sports Gambling (Ep. 388 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|August 20, 2020|Freakonomics
Other vaccines bring in a unique, representative piece of the virus—a protein or a polysaccharide—that isn’t harmful, but still inspires the proper immune response.
They will also touch on new forecasting abilities with Google Analytics that have just been launched and proper measurement.
Google and Ignite Visibility to host advanced paid media event you won’t want to miss|Sponsored Content: Ignite Visibility|August 12, 2020|Search Engine Land
Besides, proper implementation of VSM enables the following benefits.
Defining value stream management for SEO business owners|Connie Benton|August 11, 2020|Search Engine Watch
We need to recover and grow the idea that the proper answer to bad speech is more and better speech.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He could deliver a quick, effective speech, or hold a proper press conference.
Obama’s Pot Policy Is Refer Madness|James Poulos|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But those incidents are due to mistakes and leaks, not proper fracking procedures.
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban|Jay Michaelson|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A portrait of him was done once in which the collar point was made to sit in its proper place.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Proper use could lead to weight loss and reduction in gastric reflux.
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We find, then, that even for this remaining division of human activities, scientific culture is the proper preparation.
Essays on Education and Kindred Subjects|Herbert Spencer
I was told that the bones were not replaced but that sticks were inserted to maintain the fingers in proper shape.
The Medicine-Men of the Apache. (1892 N 09 / 1887-1888 (pages 443-604))|John G. Bourke
Above all things, integrity is their portion and proper virtue.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
When the first sale is made, the name and address are entered on one of these cards, and the date indicated in the proper column.
Cyclopedia of Commerce, Accountancy, Business Administration, v. 1|Various
The proper word, however, was auctio, and the auctioneer was called auctor.
Dealings With The Dead|A Sexton of the Old School
British Dictionary definitions for proper
proper
/ (ˈprɒpə) /
adjective
(usually prenominal)appropriate or suited for some purposein its proper place
correct in behaviour or conduct
excessively correct in conduct; vigorously moral
up to a required or regular standard
(immediately postpositive)(of an object, quality, etc) referred to or named specifically so as to exclude anything not directly connected with ithis claim is connected with the deed proper
(postpositive foll by to) belonging to or characteristic of a person or thing
(prenominal)Britishinformal(intensifier)I felt a proper fool
(usually postpositive)(of heraldic colours) considered correct for the natural colour of the object or emblem depictedthree martlets proper
mathslogic(of a relation) distinguished from a weaker relation by excluding the case where the relata are identical. For example, every set is a subset of itself, but a proper subset must exclude at least one member of the containing setSee also strict (def. 6)
archaicpleasant or good
adverb
Britishdialect(intensifier)he's proper stupid
good and properinformalthoroughlyto get drunk good and proper
noun
the parts of the Mass that vary according to the particular day or feast on which the Mass is celebratedCompare ordinary (def. 10)