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): /ˈpɹɒp.ə.li/
(colloquial or dialectal, UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒp.li/
(General American, dialects of Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑ.pɚ.li/
- Audio (US): (file)
(Canada, dialects of the US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒp.ɚ.li/
(General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɔp.ə.li/
(New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒp.ə.li/, [ˈpɹɔ̟p.ə.li]
(Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾɔpəɾle/, /-lɪ/, /-li/
Hyphenation: prop‧er‧ly
Rhymes: (Received Pronunciation) -ɒpəli

Adverb

properly (comparative more properly, superlative most properly)

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.
(obsolete) individually; in one's own manner.
Synonyms: independently, singly, uniquely; see also Thesaurus:individually
(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: យ៉ាងត្រឹមត្រូវ (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

properly, appropriately
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)