PROPERTY

property, prop

(noun) any movable articles or objects used on the set of a play or movie; “before every scene he ran down his checklist of props”

property

(noun) a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class; “a study of the physical properties of atomic particles”

property, attribute, dimension

(noun) a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished; “self-confidence is not an endearing property”

place, property

(noun) any area set aside for a particular purpose; “who owns this place?”; “the president was concerned about the property across from the White House”

property, belongings, holding

(noun) something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone; “that hat is my property”; “he is a man of property”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

property (countable and uncountable, plural properties)

Something that is owned.

A piece of real estate, such as a parcel of land.

Synonyms: land, parcel

Real estate; the business of selling houses.

The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing of a thing.

An attribute or abstract quality associated with an individual, object or concept.

An attribute or abstract quality which is characteristic of a class of objects.

(computing) An editable or read-only parameter associated with an application, component or class, or the value of such a parameter.

(usually, in the plural, theater) A prop, an object used in a dramatic production.

Synonym: prop

(obsolete) Propriety; correctness.

Synonyms

• (something owned): See Thesaurus:property

• (attribute or abstract quality of an object): See Thesaurus:characteristic

Verb

property (third-person singular simple present properties, present participle propertying, simple past and past participle propertied)

(obsolete) To invest with properties, or qualities.

(obsolete) To make a property of; to appropriate.

Source: Wiktionary


Prop"er*ty, n.; pl. Properties. Etym: [OE. proprete, OF. propreté property, F. propreté neatness, cleanliness, propriété 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.

4. That to which a person has a legal title, whether in his possession or not; thing owned; an estate, whether in lands, goods, or money; as, a man of large property, or small property.

5. pl.

Definition: All the adjuncts of a play except the scenery and the dresses of the actors; stage requisites. I will draw a bill of properties. Shak.

6. Propriety; correctness. [Obs.] Camden. Literary property. (Law) See under Literary.

– Property man, one who has charge of the "properties" of a theater.

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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

14 June 2025

FELLOW

(noun) a member of a learned society; “he was elected a fellow of the American Physiological Association”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

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