The Collaborative International Dictionary
Propriety \Pro*pri"e*ty\, n.; pl. Proprieties. [F. propri['e]t['e], L. proprietas, fr. proprius one's own, proper. See Property, Proper.]
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Individual right to hold property; ownership by personal title; property. [Obs.] ``Onles this propriety be exiled.''
--Robynson (More's Utopia).So are the proprieties of a wife to be disposed of by her lord, and yet all are for her provisions, it being a part of his need to refresh and supply hers.
--Jer. Taylor. -
That which is proper or peculiar; an inherent property or quality; peculiarity. [Obs.]
--Bacon.We find no mention hereof in ancient zo["o]graphers, . . . who seldom forget proprieties of such a nature.
--Sir T. Browne. The quality or state of being proper; suitableness to an acknowledged or correct standard or rule; consonance with established principles, rules, or customs; fitness; appropriateness; as, propriety of behavior, language, manners, etc. ``The rule of propriety,''
--Locke.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (plural of propriety English) 2 The customs associated with polite society
Usage examples of "proprieties".
He disregarded proprieties and took burdens himself, took up one at the bottom of die steps, for kel Ros, while the remaining sen’ein prepared to draw the sled holding the Pana alone.
I care not for the proprieties and you have made it quite clear that you want a very proper sort of wife.
I would like a little advice concerning the proprieties and, frankly, I cannot think of anyone who could give me more accurate information on that sort of thing than you.
Such a stickler for the proprieties as he is would probably not approve of ladies playing cards in the first place.
She did not realize that, with his encouragement, she had disregarded many of the sternest injunctions of her mother concerning the proprieties, forgotten the difficult lessons in being a lady.
Then she could permit herself to be kind and gentle, as Ellen had been, and thoughtful of other people and of the proprieties, too.
He explained that the innate delicacy of feeling and desire for modesty that is the hallmark of a true lady ensures that any woman possessed of both genuine psychical abilities and a fine sense of the proprieties will be extremely resistant to the notion of exhibiting her powers in any public setting.
A lady endowed with a proper respect for the proprieties would never have permitted him to be admitted into the house.
But a too-careful observance of the proprieties made for a very unexciting existence.
He had done so on his last visit to this city, being a very young kel’en and uncertain of the proprieties of conduct between regul and mri.
He then offered brief and perfunctory prayers to Silvanus and Sune and Ilmater—the preferred deities of the land—and proposed a toast to the health of Pasha Balik, Hhune might not have been born into the nobility, but he had made a point to learn the proprieties and, like many newmade nobles, he adhered to them with a near-religious zeal.
As soon as she could do so without offending proprieties, she asked what service she could render her queen.
Though B'lerion might often behave with apparent disregard for proprieties, he was far from careless and irresponsible.
No, no, don’t pester me with questions, or lecture me on the proprieties, Fanny!
In general, I set little store by the proprieties, but in such a case as this—oh, every feeling would be offended!