Pro*pri"e*ty (?), n.; pl.
Proprieties (#). [F. propriété,
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 zoögraphers,
. . . 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.
