Adjacent Words

Property definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROP'ERTY, n. [This seems to be formed directly from proper. The Latin is proprietas.]
1. A peculiar quality of any thing; that which is inherent in a subject, or naturally essential to it; called by logicians an essential mode. Thus color is a property of light; extension and figure are properties of bodies.
2. An acquired or artificial quality; that which is given by art or bestowed by man. The poem has the properties which constitute excellence.
3. Quality; disposition.
It is the property of an old sinner to find delight in reviewing his own villainies in others.
4. The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing of a thing; ownership. In the beginning of the world, the Creator gave to man dominion over the earth, over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air, and over every living thing. This is the foundation of man's property in the earth and in all its productions. Prior occupancy of land and of wild animals gives to the possessor the property of them. The labor of inventing, making or producing any thing constitutes one of the highest and most indefeasible titles to property. Property is also acquired by inheritance, by gift or by purchase. Property is sometimes held in common, yet each man's right to his share in common land or stock is exclusively his own. One man may have the property of the soil,and another the right of use, by prescription or by purchase.
5. Possession held on one's own right.
6. The thing owned; that to which a person has the legal title, whether in his possession or not. It is one of the greatest blessings of civil society that the property of citizens is well secured.
7. An estate, whether in lands, goods or money; as a man of large property or small property.
8. An estate; a farm; a plantation. In this sense, which is common in the United States and in the West Indies, the word has a plural.
The still-houses on the sugar plantations, vary in size, according to the fancy of the proprietor or the magnitude of the property.
I shall confine myself to such properties as fall within the reach of daily observation.
9. Nearness or right.
Here I disclaim all my paternal care,
Propinquity and property of blood.
10. Something useful; an appendage; a theatrical term.
I will draw a bill of properties.
High pomp and state are useful properties.
11. Propriety. [Not in use.]
Literary property, the exclusive right of printing, publishing and making profit by one's own writings. No right or title to a thing can be so perfect as that which is created by a man's own labor and invention. The exclusive right of a man to his literary productions, and to the use of them for his own profit, is entire and perfect, as the faculties employed and labor bestowed are entirely and perfectly his own. On what principle then can a legislature or a court determine that an author can enjoy only a temporary property in his own productions? If a man's right to his own productions in writing is as perfect as to the productions of his farm or his shop, how can the former by abridged or limited, while the latter is held without limitation? Why do the productions of manual labor rank higher in the scale of rights or property, than the productions of the intellect?
PROP'ERTY, v.t. To invest with qualities, or to take as one's own; to appropriate. [An awkward word and not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone; "that hat is my property"; "he is a man of property"; [syn: property, belongings, holding]
2: a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class; "a study of the physical properties of atomic particles"
3: any area set aside for a particular purpose; "who owns this place?"; "the president was concerned about the property across from the White House" [syn: place, property]
4: a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished; "self-confidence is not an endearing property" [syn: property, attribute, dimension]
5: any movable articles or objects used on the set of a play or movie; "before every scene he ran down his checklist of props" [syn: property, prop]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ties) Etymology: Middle English proprete, from Anglo-French propreté, from Latin proprietat-, proprietas, from proprius own Date: 14th century 1. a. a quality or trait belonging and especially peculiar to an individual or thing b. an effect that an object has on another object or on the senses c. virtue 3 d. an attribute common to all members of a class 2. a. something owned or possessed; specifically a piece of real estate b. the exclusive right to possess, enjoy, and dispose of a thing ; ownership c. something to which a person or business has a legal title d. one (as a performer) who is under contract and whose work is especially valuable e. a book or script purchased for publication or production 3. an article or object used in a play or motion picture except painted scenery and costumes Synonyms: see quality • propertyless adjective • propertylessness noun

U.S. Military Dictionary

1. Anything that may be owned. 2. As used in the military establishment, this term is usually confined to tangible property, including real estate and materiel. For special purposes and as used in certain statutes, this term may exclude such items as the public domain, certain lands, certain categories of naval vessels, and records of the Federal Government.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a something owned; a possession, esp. a house, land, etc. b Law the right to possession, use, etc. c possessions collectively, esp. real estate (has money in property). 2 an attribute, quality, or characteristic (has the property of dissolving grease). 3 a moveable object used on a theatre stage, in a film, etc. 4 Logic a quality common to a whole class but not necessary to distinguish it from others. Phrases and idioms: common property a thing known by most people. property man (or mistress) a man (or woman) in charge of theatrical properties. property qualification a qualification for office, or for the exercise of a right, based on the possession of property. property tax a tax levied directly on property. Etymology: ME through AF f. OF propriété f. L proprietas -tatis (as PROPER)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Personal Per"son*al, a. [L. personalis: cf. F. personnel.] 1. Pertaining to human beings as distinct from things. Every man so termed by way of personal difference. --Hooker. 2. Of or pertaining to a particular person; relating to, or affecting, an individual, or each of many individuals; peculiar or proper to private concerns; not public or general; as, personal comfort; personal desire. The words are conditional, -- If thou doest well, -- and so personal to Cain. --Locke. 3. Pertaining to the external or bodily appearance; corporeal; as, personal charms. --Addison. 4. Done in person; without the intervention of another. ``Personal communication.'' --Fabyan. The immediate and personal speaking of God. --White. 5. Relating to an individual, his character, conduct, motives, or private affairs, in an invidious and offensive manner; as, personal reflections or remarks. 6. (Gram.) Denoting person; as, a personal pronoun. Personal action (Law), a suit or action by which a man claims a debt or personal duty, or damages in lieu of it; or wherein he claims satisfaction in damages for an injury to his person or property, or the specific recovery of goods or chattels; -- opposed to real action. Personal equation. (Astron.) See under Equation. Personal estate or property (Law), movables; chattels; -- opposed to real estate or property. It usually consists of things temporary and movable, including all subjects of property not of a freehold nature. Personal identity (Metaph.), the persistent and continuous unity of the individual person, which is attested by consciousness. Personal pronoun (Gram.), one of the pronouns I, thou, he, she, it, and their plurals. Personal representatives (Law), the executors or administrators of a person deceased. Personal rights, rights appertaining to the person; as, the rights of a personal security, personal liberty, and private property. Personal tithes. See under Tithe. Personal verb (Gram.), a verb which is modified or inflected to correspond with the three persons.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Property Prop"er*ty, n.; pl. Properties. [OE. proprete, OF. propret['e] property, F. propret['e] neatness, cleanliness, propri['e]t['e] property, fr. L. proprietas. See Proper, a., and cf. Propriety.] 1. That which is proper to anything; a peculiar quality of a thing; that which is inherent in a subject, or naturally essential to it; an attribute; as, sweetness is a property of sugar. Property is correctly a synonym for peculiar quality; but it is frequently used as coextensive with quality in general. --Sir W. Hamilton. Note: In physical science, the properties of matter are distinguished to the three following classes: 1. Physical properties, or those which result from the relations of bodies to the physical agents, light, heat, electricity, gravitation, cohesion, adhesion, etc., and which are exhibited without a change in the composition or kind of matter acted on. They are color, luster, opacity, transparency, hardness, sonorousness, density, crystalline form, solubility, capability of osmotic diffusion, vaporization, boiling, fusion, etc. 2. Chemical properties, or those which are conditioned by affinity and composition; thus, combustion, explosion, and certain solutions are reactions occasioned by chemical properties. Chemical properties are identical when there is identity of composition and structure, and change according as the composition changes. 3. Organoleptic properties, or those forming a class which can not be included in either of the other two divisions. They manifest themselves in the contact of substances with the organs of taste, touch, and smell, or otherwise affect the living organism, as in the manner of medicines and poisons. 2. An acquired or artificial quality; that which is given by art, or bestowed by man; as, the poem has the properties which constitute excellence. 3. The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying, and disposing of a thing; ownership; title. Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood. --Shak. Shall man assume a property in man? --Wordsworth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Property Prop"er*ty, v. t. 1. To invest which properties, or qualities. [Obs.] --Shak. 2. To make a property of; to appropriate. [Obs.] They have here propertied me. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Whose perfection far excelled Hers in all real dignity. --Milton. 5. Relating to things, not to persons. [Obs.] Many are perfect in men's humors that are not greatly capable of the real part of business. --Bacon. 4. (Alg.) Having an assignable arithmetical or numerical value or meaning; not imaginary. 5. (Law) Pertaining to things fixed, permanent, or immovable, as to lands and tenements; as, real property, in distinction from personal or movable property. Chattels real (Law), such chattels as are annexed to, or savor of, the realty, as terms for years of land. See Chattel. Real action (Law), an action for the recovery of real property. Real assets (Law), lands or real estate in the hands of the heir, chargeable with the debts of the ancestor. Real composition (Eccl. Law), an agreement made between the owner of lands and the parson or vicar, with consent of the ordinary, that such lands shall be discharged from payment of tithes, in consequence of other land or recompense given to the parson in lieu and satisfaction thereof. --Blackstone. Real estate or property, lands, tenements, and hereditaments; freehold interests in landed property; property in houses and land. --Kent. --Burrill. Real presence (R. C. Ch.), the actual presence of the body and blood of Christ in the eucharist, or the conversion of the substance of the bread and wine into the real body and blood of Christ; transubstantiation. In other churches there is a belief in a form of real presence, not however in the sense of transubstantiation. Real servitude, called also Predial servitude (Civil Law), a burden imposed upon one estate in favor of another estate of another proprietor. --Erskine. --Bouvier. Syn: Actual; true; genuine; authentic. Usage: Real, Actual. Real represents a thing to be a substantive existence; as, a real, not imaginary, occurrence. Actual refers to it as acted or performed; and, hence, when we wish to prove a thing real, we often say, ``It actually exists,'' ``It has actually been done.'' Thus its really is shown by its actually. Actual, from this reference to being acted, has recently received a new signification, namely, present; as, the actual posture of affairs; since what is now in action, or going on, has, of course, a present existence. An actual fact; a real sentiment. For he that but conceives a crime in thought, Contracts the danger of an actual fault. --Dryden. Our simple ideas are all real; all agree to the reality of things. --Locke.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(properties) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Someone's property is all the things that belong to them or something that belongs to them. (FORMAL) Richard could easily destroy her personal property to punish her for walking out on him... Security forces searched thousands of homes, confiscating weapons and stolen property. N-UNCOUNT: usu with poss 2. A property is a building and the land belonging to it. (FORMAL) This vehicle has been parked on private property. N-VAR 3. The properties of a substance or object are the ways in which it behaves in particular conditions. A radio signal has both electrical and magnetic properties. N-COUNT: usu pl

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

prop'-er-ti.

See AGRARIAN LAWS; JUBILEE; POOR; PORTION; PRIMOGENITURE; WEALTH.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Quality, attribute, peculiarity, characteristic. 2. Wealth, estate, goods, possessions, one's own, thing owned. 3. Ownership, exclusive right. 4. Character, disposition. 5. Participation.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To make a property of any one; to make him a conveniency, tool, or cat's paw; to use him as one's own.

Moby Thesaurus

acreage, acres, adverse possession, affection, affluence, alodium, aroma, assets, attribute, available means, badge, balance, banner, belongings, blackface, body-build, bottomless purse, brand, bulging purse, burgage, cachet, capital, capital goods, capitalization, cast, character, characteristic, characteristics, chattels, chattels real, claim, clown white, colony, complexion, composition, configuration, constituents, constitution, costume, crasis, cut, de facto, de jure, demesne, dependency, derivative title, device, dharma, diathesis, differentia, differential, disposition, distinctive feature, domain, dominion, earmark, easy circumstances, effects, embarras de richesses, estate, ethos, feature, fee fief, fee position, fee simple, fee simple absolute, fee simple conditional, fee simple defeasible, fee simple determinable, fee tail, feodum, feud, fiber, fiefdom, figure, flavor, fortune, frame, frankalmoign, free socage, freehold, fund, gavelkind, gear, genius, gold, grain, greasepaint, grist, grounds, gust, habit, hallmark, handsome fortune, having title to, high income, high tax bracket, hold, holding, holdings, honor, hue, humor, humors, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, ilk, image, impress, impression, independence, index, indicant, indicator, individualism, insignia, keynote, kind, knight service, land, landed property, lands, lay fee, lease, leasehold, legal claim, legal possession, lineaments, liquid assets, lot, lots, lucre, luxuriousness, makeup, mammon, mandate, mannerism, manor, mark, marking, material wealth, means, measure, messuage, mold, money, money to burn, moneybags, nature, note, occupancy, occupation, oddity, odor, opulence, opulency, original title, owning, paraphernalia, parcel, particularity, peculiarity, pelf, physique, picture, plat, plot, possessing, possession, possessions, possessorship, practical piece, praedium, preoccupancy, preoccupation, prepossession, prescription, prop, property rights, proprietary, proprietary rights, proprietorship, prosperity, prosperousness, quadrat, quality, quiddity, quirk, real estate, real property, realty, representation, representative, resource, resources, riches, richness, savor, seal, seisin, shape, sigil, sign, signal, signature, singularity, six-figure income, smack, socage, somatotype, sort, specialty, spirit, squatting, stamp, streak, stripe, sublease, substance, suchness, supply, sure sign, symptom, system, taint, tang, taste, telltale sign, temper, temperament, tenancy, tenantry, tendency, tenements, tenor, tenure, tenure in chivalry, theatrical makeup, title, toft, token, tone, trait, treasure, trick, type, underlease, undertenancy, upper bracket, usucapion, vein, villein socage, villeinhold, villenage, virtue, way, wealth, wealthiness, worth