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.