# propriety

> English word · Noun · IPA /pɹəˈpɹaɪəti/ · frequency rank #37,643

## Definitions
1. The particular character or essence of someone or something; individuality.
2. A characteristic; an attribute.
3. A piece of land owned by someone; someone's property.
4. More generally, something owned by someone; a possession.
5. The fact of possessing something; ownership.
6. Correct language or pronunciation.
7. Suitability, fitness; the quality of being appropriate.
8. Correctness in behaviour and morals; good manners, seemliness.

## Etymology
From late Middle English proprietee, propretee, propriete (“ownership”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman propreté, Middle French proprieté, from Latin proprietās. By surface analysis, prop(e)r + -iety. Doublet of property.

## Easily confused with
- **proprietor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/proprietor-vs-propriety)
- **proprietary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/proprietary-vs-propriety)

## Common misspellings (14)
`porpriety`, `ppropriety`, `propirety`, `proppriety`, `propreity`, `proprietty`, `proprietyy`, `proprieyt`, `propritey`, `proprriety`, `prorpiety`, `prporiety`, `prropriety`, `rpopriety`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/propriety