proper

Where does the word "proper" come from? It comes from Latin proprius, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Proper’s story begins in Latin: proprius meant “one's own.” The root of 'property'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as propre. The root of 'property' and 'appropriate'. It reached English by 1200s as proper. 'proper' as correct dates from the 1300s. Today, proper means truly what something is said to be; correct.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient proprius "one's own", the root of 'property'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval propre "one's own", the root of 'property' and 'appropriate'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s proper "one's own", 'proper' as correct dates from the 1300s.