Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: French
Origin: propriété 'property, quality', from Latin proprietas; PROPERTY

propriety

 noun
     
pro‧pri‧e‧ty formal
1 [singular,uncountable] correctness of social or moral behaviour [≠ impropriety]
propriety of
They discussed the propriety of treating ill children against the wishes of the parents.
with propriety
They conducted themselves with propriety.
2

the proprieties

SS especially British English the accepted rules of correct social behaviour:
strict in observing the proprieties
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary