Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

properly

 adverb
     
prop‧er‧ly S1 W2
1 especially British English correctly, or in a way that is considered right [= right American English]
The brakes don't seem to be working properly.
Then he's not doing his job properly.
Parents should teach their children to behave properly in public.
properly trained staff
2 especially British English completely or fully [= thoroughly]:
Is the chicken properly defrosted?
The allegations were never properly investigated.
3 formal really:
Documents properly belonging to the family were taken away.
properly speaking British English (=really)
It isn't, properly speaking, a real science.
4 used to say that someone is right to do something [= rightly]
quite/very/perfectly properly
People are, quite properly, proud of their homes.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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