properly

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin propriusbor.

Anglo-Norman proprebor.

Middle English propre

English proper

Proto-Indo-European *leyg-

Proto-Germanic *līkąder.

Proto-Germanic *-līkaz

Proto-Germanic *-ê

Proto-Germanic *-līkê

Old English -līċe

Middle English -ly

English -ly

English properly

From proper + -ly.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒpəli/
• (colloquial or dialectal, UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒpli/
• (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾɔpəlɪj/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑpɚli/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒpɚli/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɔpəli/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒpəli/, [ˈpɹɔ̟pəli]
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾɔpəɾle/, /-lɪ/, /-li/
• Hyphenation: prop‧er‧ly
• Rhymes: -ɒpəli

Adverb

properly (comparative more properly, superlative most properly)

1. In a proper manner, appropriately, suitably; correctly, justifiably

   Synonyms: compliantly, duly, rightly; see also Thesaurus:conformably

   Does she think the repairs have been properly done?

   • 1941, Virginia Woolf, suicide note:

     I know that I am spoiling your life that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I cant[sic] even write this properly.

   • 2011 December 16, Denis Campbell, “Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients'”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Hospitals are failing to care properly for the growing number of people with dementia, according to an NHS-funded report, which has prompted demands for big improvements to help patients.

2. (obsolete) individually; in one's own manner.

   Synonyms: independently, singly, uniquely; see also Thesaurus:individually

3. (colloquial) Entirely; extremely; thoroughly.

   Synonyms: downright, quite, well and truly; see also Thesaurus:completely

   I was properly tired after that party.

Derived terms

• improperly

Translations

in a proper manner

• Arabic: كَمَا يَجِب (kamā yajib), كَمَا يَنْبَغِي (kamā yanbaḡī)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: cabəca
• Basque: behar bezala
• Bulgarian: правилно (bg) (pravilno), както трябва (kakto trjabva)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 正確 / 正确 (zh) (zhèngquè), 好好兒地 / 好好儿地 (hǎohāor de), 適當地 / 适当地 (zh) (shìdàng de)

• Danish: ordentligt
• Esperanto: dece (eo)
• Finnish: oikein (fi), kunnolla (fi)
• French: proprement (fr), correctement (fr), convenablement (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: ordnungsgemäß (de), ordentlich (de), richtig (de), vernünftig (de)
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌱𐌰 (garēdaba)
• Greek: καταλλήλως (el) (katallílos), δεόντως (el) (deóntos), σωστά (el) (sostá)
• Hindi: ठीक से (hi) (ṭhīk se), ठीक तरह से (ṭhīk tarah se)
• Hittite: 𒀀𒀀𒊏 (a-a-ra)
• Hungarian: megfelelően (hu)
• Italian: propriamente (it), in maniera appropriata, correttamente (it), con cognizione di causa (it), appuntino (it), per bene, ammodo (it), adeguatamente (it)
• Japanese: 適切に (ja) (てきせつに, tekisetsu ni)
• Khmer: យ៉ាង​ត្រឹមត្រូវ (yaang-trəm trəw)
• Latin: decōrē
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ordentlig (no)

• Portuguese: propriamente (pt)
• Russian: до́лжным о́бразом (dólžnym óbrazom), как сле́дует (kak slédujet), (colloquial) хороше́нько (ru) (xorošénʹko), пра́вильно (ru) (právilʹno), соотве́тственно (ru) (sootvétstvenno)
• Sanskrit: साधु (sa) (sādhu)
• Spanish: como es debido (es), como corresponde, como toca
• Swedish: ordentligt (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: належно (naležno), правильно (pravylʹno), нале́жним чи́ном (naléžnym čýnom), як слід (jak slid)
• Urdu: ٹھیک سے (ur) (ṭhīk se)
• Vietnamese: tử tế (vi)

Anagrams

• proprely

Middle English

Adverb

properly

1. properly, appropriately
2. individually; in one's own manner
   • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Wyfe of Bathes Prologue”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC:

     Now herkenyth how I bar me properly.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)