prop

See also: PROP, Prop., and prop-

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɹɒp/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɹɑp/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /pɹɔp/
• Rhymes: -ɒp

Etymology 1

From Middle English proppe (“a prop, support, support for a vine or plant”), from Middle Dutch proppe (“support, support for a vine, stopper for a bottle”). Compare Middle Low German proppe (“plug, stopper”), German Pfropfen (“plug”), Danish prop (“plug, stopper”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Also, is the rugby sense from this etymology, from the other, or from a third?”)

Noun

prop (plural props)

1. An object placed against or under another, to support it; anything that supports.

   They stuck a block of wood under it as a prop.

2. (rugby) The player on either side of the hooker in a scrum.
3. Any of the seashells in the game of props.

Derived terms

• acrow prop
• book prop
• clothes-prop
• clothes prop
• pit prop
• prop bet
• prop blast
• prop-jet
• prop shaft
• prop vowel
• prop wash
• shot prop

 

Translations

object placed against or under another, to support it

• Arabic: سِنَاد m (sinād), عِمَاد m (ʕimād), دِعَامَة f (diʕāma), رَكِيزَة f (rakīza)
• Bulgarian: подпора (bg) f (podpora)
• Czech: podpěra (cs) f, vzpěra (cs) f
• Finnish: tuki (fi), pönkkä (fi), kannatin (fi)
• French: cale (fr) f, support (fr) m, soutien (fr) m
• Galician: rodriga f, escora f, arxón (gl) m, esteo (gl) m, sopostallo m
• German: Stütze (de) f, Unterstützung (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἔρεισμα n (éreisma)

• Hungarian: támaszték (hu), támasz (hu)
• Irish: gabháil m
• Italian: sostegno (it) m, puntello (it) m
• Latin: fulcīmen n, pālus m, firmāmentum n
• Maori: tauteka
• Occitan: supòrt (oc) m, pièja (oc) f
• Ottoman Turkish: دیرك (direk), دستك (destek), پاینده (payende, payanda)
• Persian: تکیه‌گاه (tekye-gâh), پایه (fa) (pâye), پادیر (fa) (pâdir)
• Polish: podpora (pl) f, podpórka (pl) f, oparcie (pl) n, podstawka (pl) f, stojak (pl) n, ostoja (pl) f
• Portuguese: escora (pt) f, apoio (pt) m, amparo (pt) m
• Russian: подста́вка (ru) f (podstávka), опо́ра (ru) f (opóra)
• Sanskrit: धर्त्र (sa) n (dhartra)
• Spanish: apoyo (es) m, puntal (es), sostén (es) m, apeo (es) m, paral (es) m, estribadero (es) m, empenta (es) f
• Swahili: nguzo (sw)
• Swedish: stöd (sv) n, stötta (sv) c
• Tamil: முட்டுக்கால் (ta) (muṭṭukkāl)
• Telugu: ఊత (te) (ūta)
• Ukrainian: підпора f (pidpora), опора f (opora)

rugby: player next to the hooker in a scrum

• Afrikaans: stut
• Catalan: pilar (ca) m or f
• Czech: pilíř (cs) m
• French: pillier (fr) m
• Galician: pear (gl) m
• Italian: pilone (it) m
• Maori: pou
• Occitan: pilar (oc) m, pilon m
• Spanish: pilar (es) m
• Welsh: prop m

Verb

prop (third-person singular simple present props, present participle propping, simple past and past participle propped)

1. (transitive, sometimes figurative) To support or shore up something.

   Try using a phone book to prop up the table where the foot is missing.

2. (intransitive) To play rugby in the prop position.
3. (transitive, usually with "up" - see prop up) To position the feet of (a person) while sitting, lying down, or reclining so that the knees are elevated at a higher level.

Derived terms

• prop forward
• prop up the bar

 

Translations

support

• Arabic: دَعَمَ (daʕama), عَمَدَ (ar) (ʕamada), رَفَدَ (rafada)
• Bulgarian: подпирам (bg) (podpiram)
• Czech: opřít (cs) pf, zapřít pf, podepřít pf
• Finnish: tukea (fi), pönkittää (fi)
• French: caler (fr), poser (fr), mettre (fr)
• Galician: estear (gl), escorar (gl)
• German: unterstützen (de), halten (de), stützen (de), abstützen (de), aufbocken (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἐρείδω (ereídō)

• Hungarian: támaszt (hu), kitámaszt (hu), megtámaszt (hu)
• Ido: apogar (io)
• Lushootseed: ʔili, ʔilid
• Portuguese: sustentar (pt)
• Romanian: propti (ro)
• Spanish: apuntalar (es), apoyar (es), sostener (es), apear (es)
• Ukrainian: підпирати (pidpyraty), підперти (pidperty)

Etymology 2

Clipping of property.

Noun

prop (plural props)

1. (theater, film) An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform.

   They used the trophy as a prop in the movie.

2. An item placed within an advertisement in order to suggest a style of living etc.
   • 2006, Michael Grecco, Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait, Amphoto Books, →ISBN, page 109:

     You can use props in a literal way to enhance the story, such as shooting a woodworker amidst woodworking tools.

Usage notes

• In stagecraft, usually the term prop is reserved for an object with which an actor or performer interacts, such as a glass, a book, or a weapon. Larger items adding to the scene, such as chairs, are considered part of the set.
• Props are often non-functional. A prop that is required to function is a "practical" prop, or simply a "practical".
  • When used like an adjective (prop sword, prop gun) the implication is that it is non-functional

Derived terms

• prop comedian
• prop comedy
• prop comic
• prop gun
• prop master
• prop sword
• theatrical prop

 

Translations

item placed on a stage to create a scene

• Bulgarian: реквизит (bg) m (rekvizit)
• Catalan: utillatge m
• Czech: rekvizita f
• Dutch: rekwisiet (nl) n
• Esperanto: rekvizito (eo)
• Finnish: rekvisiitta (fi), proppi (fi)
• French: accessoire (fr) m
• German: Requisit (de) n, Ausstattung (de) f, Accessoire (de) f, Requisite (de) f
• Hungarian: kellék (hu)
• Irish: prapa m
• Italian: oggetto di scena m
• Japanese: 持ち道具 (もちどうぐ, mochidōgu)
• Polish: rekwizyt (pl) m
• Portuguese: acessório (pt) m, objeto de cena
• Russian: реквизит (ru) m (rekvizit)
• Spanish: atrezzo (es) m, utilería (es) f, atrezo (es) m
• Swedish: rekvisita (sv) c
• Welsh: prop m

Etymology 3

Clipping of propeller.

Noun

prop (plural props)

1. The propeller of an aircraft or boat.

Derived terms

• propshaft
• propwash
• turboprop

Translations

propeller of an aircraft

• Czech: vrtule (cs) f
• Finnish: potkuri (fi)
• German: Propeller (de) m
• Spanish: hélice (es) f
• Ukrainian: пропелер (propeler)

Verb

prop (third-person singular simple present props, present participle propping, simple past and past participle propped)

1. To manually start the engine of a propeller-driven aircraft with no electric starter by pulling vigorously on one of the propeller blades using the hands, so that the propeller can catch ignition.

Derived terms

• propwash
• warm prop

Etymology 4

Clipping of proposition.

Noun

prop (plural props)

1. A proposition, especially on an election-day ballot.

Etymology 5

Clipping of propellant.

Noun

prop (plural props)

1. (astronautics) propellant (“rocket fuel”)

Derived terms

• monoprop
• biprop

Etymology 6

Noun

prop (plural props)

1. (gambling, informal) Short for proposition player.

Etymology 7

Clipping of propagation.

Noun

prop (plural props)

1. (Internet slang) A part of a plant reared for its multiplication.

Related terms

• proplifting

Etymology 8

Clipping of testosterone propionate.

Noun

prop (uncountable)

1. (bodybuilding slang) Testosterone propionate.

   Synonym: test prop

Etymology 9

Noun

prop (plural props)

1. (obsolete, slang) A blow; the act of striking someone.
   • 1899, Eden Phillpotts, The Human Boy Again:

     There was some good counter hits, and then Foster received a prop on the nose which drew the claret.

References

• John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary

Anagrams

• Ropp

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan prop, from Latin prope.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈpɾɔp]

Adverb

prop

1. (especially after "a") near, nearby

   No el vull a prop meu ― I don't want him near me

2. (followed by "de") near to

   Ja devem ser prop del mar ― Now we must be near to the sea

3. (followed by "de") about, around, roughly

   Fa prop de tres-cents anys ― It was about three hundred years ago

Derived terms

• apropar
• proper

Further reading

• “prop” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Dutch

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Dutch proppe. Further etymology unknown.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /prɔp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔp

Noun

prop f or m (plural proppen, diminutive propje n)

1. a swab, plug made of paper, cloth, slime or some other suitable material
2. a piece of paper or similar which has been crumpled into a ball-like shape, usually though not necessarily with the intent of throwing it away; a wad of paper
3. (in compounds) an embolism

Derived terms

• bloedprop
• papierprop
• slijmprop
• vetprop

 

Descendants

• → Indonesian: prop
• → Papiamentu: pròp

Verb

prop

1. inflection of proppen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈprɔp]
• Hyphenation: prop

Etymology 1

From Dutch prop.

Noun

prop (first-person possessive propku, second-person possessive propmu, third-person possessive propnya)

1. (colloquial) cork plug.

Etymology 2

From English prop (“property”), or a clipping of properti.

Noun

prop (first-person possessive propku, second-person possessive propmu, third-person possessive propnya)

1. (art) property, an item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform.

Further reading

• “prop” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from English prop.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales, South Wales) IPA^(key): /prɔp/

Noun

prop

1. prop, support
2. (film, theater) prop
3. (rugby) prop

Derived terms

• prop pen rhydd (“loose-head prop”)
• prop pen tynn (“tight-head prop”)

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
prop	brop	mhrop	phrop
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.