Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
unproper. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
unproper, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
unproper in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
unproper you have here. The definition of the word
unproper will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
unproper, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From un- + proper.
Pronunciation
Adjective
unproper (comparative more unproper, superlative most unproper)
- (obsolete) Improper, not according with fact or reason; wrong, irregular.
- c. 1631, John Donne, letter to Sir Henry Goodyere, Works, Letter XC, p. 409:
- Sir, as I said last time, labour to keep your alacrity and dignity, in an even temper: for in a dark sadness, indifferent things seem abominable, or necessary, being neither; as trees, and sheep, to melancholy night-walkers, have unproper shapes.
- (now rare) Improper, not suited for its use or application; inappropriate.
1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis , “VII. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. , London: William Rawley ; rinted by J H for William Lee , →OCLC, page 694:The pleasure in the act of Venus is the greatest of the pleasures of the senses: the matching of it with itch is unproper; though that also be pleasing to the touch.
- 2009, "Own Goal for Football", The Times, 10 Oct 09:
- Transparency is paramount. If football’s guardians cannot deliver it they will, rightly, be deemed to be every bit as unfit and unproper to play a role in administering the sport as any secretive investor they may feel motivated to investigate.
- (obsolete) Not belonging to a given person; someone else's.
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :There's Millions now aliue, That nightly lye in those vnproper beds, Which they dare sweare peculiar.
- (rare) Improper, not according with good standards of behaviour; indecent, indecorous.
1962 April 27, “Meet me in St. Louis”, in Time:His equally unproper brother, City Planner Charles W. II, shocked purists in the 19303 by building a flat-topped house in Ipswich.