Property

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈpɹɒ.pÉ™(ɹ).ti/
• US enPR: prŏpʹərtÄ“ËŒ, IPA: ˈpɹɑpÉštiː
• Hyphenation: prop + erty

Alternative forms

• propretie

Origin

From Middle English /Anglo-Norman proprete, from Middle French propreté, from Old French propriete (modern propriété), itself, from Latin proprietas, from proprius 'own'.

Full definition of property

Noun

1. Something that is owned.
   Leave those books alone! They are my property.
   Important types of property include real property (land), personal property (other physical possessions), and intellectual property (rights over artistic creations, inventions, etc.).
• 1927, F. E. Penny, Pulling the Strings Chapter 4, A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff. These properties were known to have belonged to a toddy drawer. He had disappeared.
2. A piece of real estate, such as a parcel of land.
   There is a large house on the property.
3. Real estate; the business of selling houses.
   He works in property as a housing consultant.
4. The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing of a thing.
5. An attribute or abstract quality associated with an individual, object or concept.
   Charm is his most endearing property.
• 2013, Philip J. Bushnell, Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance, Furthermore, this increase in risk is comparable to the risk of death from leukemia after long-term exposure to benzene, another solvent, which has the well-known property of causing this type of cancer.
6. An attribute or abstract quality which is characteristic of a class of objects.
   Matter can have many properties, including color, mass and density.
• 2013, Lee S. Langston, The Adaptable Gas Turbine, Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
7. (computing) An editable or read-only parameter associated with an application, component or class, or the value of such a parameter.
   You need to set the debugging property to "verbose".
8. (usually in the plural, theater) An object used in a dramatic production.
   Costumes and scenery are distinguished from property properly speaking.
9. (obsolete) Propriety; correctness.

Synonyms

• (something owned) belongings, owndom, possession
• (piece of real estate) land, parcel
• (attribute or abstract quality of an object) attribute, feature, owndom
• (object used in a dramatic production) prop

Derived terms

Related terms

Verb

1. (obsolete) To invest with properties, or qualities.
2. (obsolete) To make a property of; to appropriate.
• ShakespeareThey have here propertied me.