appropriate

English

Etymology

From Middle English appropriaten, from Latin appropriatus, past participle of approprio (“to make one's own”), from ad (“to”) + proprio (“to make one's own”), from proprius (“one's own, private”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

• (RP) enPR: əprō'priĭt, əprō'priət, IPA: /əˈpɹəʊ.pɹiː.ɪt/, /əˈpɹəʊ.pɹiː.ət/, SAMPA: /@"pr@U.pri:.It/, /@"pr@U.pri:.@t/
• (US) enPR: əprō'priĭt, əprō'priət, IPA: /əˈpɹoʊ.pɹi.ɪt/, /əˈpɹoʊ.pɹi.ət/, SAMPA: /@"proU.pri.It/, /@"proU.pri.@t/

  Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

• (RP) IPA: /əˈpɹəʊ.pɹiː.eɪt/, SAMPA: /@"pr@U.pri:.eIt/
• (US) enPR: əprō'priāt, IPA: /əˈpɹoʊ.pɹi.eɪt/, SAMPA: /@"proU.pri.eIt/

  Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

appropriate (comparative more appropriate, superlative most appropriate)

1. (obsolete) Set apart for a particular use or person; reserved.
2. Hence, belonging peculiarly; peculiar; suitable; fit; proper.

   The headmaster wondered what an appropriate measure would be to make the pupil behave better.

   In its strict and appropriate meaning. --Beilby Porteus.

   Appropriate acts of divine worship. --Edward Stillingfleet.

   It is not at all times easy to find words appropriate to express our ideas. --John Locke.

3. Suitable to the social situation or to social respect or social discreetness; socially correct; socially discreet; well-mannered; proper.

   I don't think it was appropriate for the cashier to tell me out loud in front of all those people at the check-out that my hair-piece looked like it was falling out of place.

   While it is not considered appropriate for a professor to date his student, there is no such concern once the semester has ended.

   • 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, Telegraph:

     With such focus from within the footballing community this week on Remembrance Sunday, there was something appropriate about Colchester being the venue for last night’s game. Troops from the garrison town formed a guard of honour for both sets of players, who emerged for the national anthem with poppies proudly stitched into their tracksuit jackets.

Synonyms

• (suited for) apt, felicitous, fitting, suitable

Antonyms

• inappropriate

Derived terms

• appropriateness

Translations

obsolete: set apart for a particular use or person

Dutch: aangewezen (nl), geschikt (nl) Finnish: varattu (fi), osoitettu (fi) German: zugewiesen Italian: apposito (it)

Portuguese: apropriado (pt) m. Spanish: apropiado (es) m. Swahili: mwafaka (sw) Turkish: sâhiplenmek (tr)

peculiar, suitable, fit, proper

Arabic: مناسب (ar) (munaasib) Armenian: համապատասխան (hy) (hamapatasxan), պատշաճ (hy) (patšač̣) Bulgarian: подходящ (bg), уместен (bg), съответен (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 適當 (cmn), 适当 (cmn) (shìdàng), 恰當 (cmn), 恰当 (cmn) (qiàdàng) Croatian: prìkladan (hr), pȍdesan (hr) Czech: odpovídající (cs) m., příslušný (cs) m. Dutch: geschikt, passend, toepasselijk (nl) Esperanto: konvena (eo) Finnish: sopiva (fi), sovelias (fi), täsmällinen (fi), asianmukainen (fi) French: approprié (fr) German: angebracht (de), angemessen (de), passend (de) Greek: κατάλληλος (el) m. (katállilos) Hiligaynon: dápat

Hungarian: megfelelő (hu) Italian: apposito (it) Japanese: 適切 (ja) (てきせつ, tekisetsu), 適当 (ja) (てきとう, tekitō) Norwegian: egnet (no), formålstjenlig (no), passende (no), hensiktsmessig (no) Polish: odpowiedni, właściwy, stosowny m. Russian: соответствующий (ru) (sootvétstvujuščij), подходящий (ru) (podxodjáščij) Scottish Gaelic: freagarrach (gd), iomchaidh (gd) Slovene: ustrézen (sl) Spanish: apropiado (es) Swahili: mwafaka (sw) Swedish: lämplig (sv), tillbörlig (sv) Turkish: muvfâfık (tr), uygun (tr), yerinde (tr) Welsh: priodol (cy)

suitable to social situation

Armenian: պատշաճ (hy) (patšač̣) Croatian: prìmjeren (hr), prìkladan (hr) Czech: přiměřený (cs) m., vhodný (cs) m. Dutch: gepast (nl) Finnish: sopiva (fi), sovelias (fi) Hungarian: illő (hu), megfelelő (hu) Norwegian: velegnet (no)

Scottish Gaelic: freagarrach (gd), iomchaidh (gd) Swahili: mwafaka (sw) Turkish: biçilmiş kaftan (tr), lâyık (tr), yakışık alır (tr), isâbetli (tr) Welsh: priodol (cy)

Verb

appropriate (third-person singular simple present appropriates, present participle appropriating, simple past and past participle appropriated)

1. (transitive, archaic) To make suitable; to suit. -- William Paley.
2. (transitive) To take to one's self in exclusion of others; to claim or use as by an exclusive right; as, "let no man appropriate the use of a common benefit."
3. (transitive) To set apart for, or assign to, a particular person or use, in exclusion of all others;—with to or for; as, a spot of ground is appropriated for a garden; to appropriate money for the increase of the navy.
4. (transitive, UK, ecclesiastical, law) To annex, as a benefice, to a spiritual corporation, as its property. --Blackstone.

Translations

To take to one's self in exclusion of others

Bulgarian: присвоявам си (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 独占 (zh) Dutch: zich toeëigenen

German: aneignen (de) Hungarian: kisajátít (hu) Spanish: adueñarse (es) Swahili: mwafaka (sw)

To set apart for

Bulgarian: определям (bg), предназначавам (bg) Dutch: toewijzen (nl) German: zuweisen Hungarian: elkülönít (hu)

Japanese: 充当する (jūtō suru) Spanish: designar (es) Swahili: mwafaka (sw)

To make suitable

Dutch: aanpassen (nl) French: approprié (fr)

German: anpassen (de) Swahili: mwafaka (sw)

Law: To annex

German: aneignen (de) Norwegian: annektere (no)

Swahili: mwafaka (sw)

External links

• appropriate at OneLook Dictionary Search
• appropriate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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Italian

Adjective

appropriate f.

1. Feminine plural form of appropriato