<B>proprietary, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-taries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>belonging to a proprietor. <BR> <I>Ex. a proprietary right, a proprietary interest.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>holding property. <BR> <I>Ex. a proprietary class.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>owned by a private person or company; belonging to or controlled bya private person or company as property. A proprietary medicine is a patent medicine, that is, one which may be sold only by some one person or certain persons. <BR> <I>Ex. Proprietary drugs, such as aspirin, and cough remedies, can be sold without a prescription.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an owner; proprietor. <DD><B> 2. </B>a group of owners. <BR> <I>Ex. The proprietary desired certain modifications in the existing policy (Arnold Bennett).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the holding of property; ownership. <DD><B> 4. </B>a proprietary medicine or drug. <DD><B> 5. </B>the owner or group of owners of a grant from the king of England. William Penn was a proprietary. </DL>
<A NAME="proprietarycolony">
<B>proprietary colony,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (in American history) a colony granted by the British government to some person or persons with full power of ownership, such as the power to appoint the governor and other high officials. Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania were proprietary colonies. </DL>
<A NAME="proprieties">
<B>proprieties, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under <B>propriety.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="proprietor">
<B>proprietor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who owns something as his possession or property; owner. <BR> <I>Ex. A number of boarding house proprietors are converting their rooms into flatlets (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(in American history) the owner of a proprietary colony. </DL>
<A NAME="proprietorial">
<B>proprietorial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with a proprietor. <BR> <I>Ex. proprietorial pride.</I> </DL>
<B>proprietress, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a woman owner or manager. </DL>
<A NAME="propriety">
<B>propriety, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the quality or condition of being proper; fitness. <BR> <I>Ex. a remark of doubtful propriety.</I> (SYN) aptness, suitability. <DD><B> 2. </B>proper behavior. <BR> <I>Ex. She acts with propriety. Propriety demands that a boy rise from his seat when he is introduced to a lady.</I> (SYN) etiquette, decorum, decency. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Archaic.) proper or peculiar character. <BR> <I>Ex. Silence that dreadful bell; it frights the isle from her propriety (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) property. <BR><I>expr. <B>proprieties,</B> </I>the customs and rules of proper behavior. <BR> <I>Ex. The proprieties ... and even the graces, as far as they are simple, pure, and honest, would follow as an almost inevitable consequence (Hannah More).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="proprioception">
<B>proprioception, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a proprioceptive sense; the perception of internal bodily conditions, such as the state of muscular contraction. </DL>
<A NAME="proprioceptive">
<B>proprioceptive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>receiving stimuli from within the body. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with such stimuli. </DL>
<A NAME="proprioceptor">
<B>proprioceptor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sense organ that receives stimuli from within the body. </DL>
<A NAME="propriomotu">
<B>proprio motu,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) of one's own accord. </DL>
<A NAME="proproctor">
<B>proproctor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an assistant or deputy proctor in a British university. </DL>
<A NAME="proproot">
<B>prop root,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a root that supports a plant by growing downward into the ground from above the soil, as in corn and the mangrove. </DL>
<A NAME="propterhoc">
<B>propter hoc,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) because of this. <BR> <I>Ex. Nevertheless, it is fair to admit that, perhaps not propter hoc, the situation has radically changed in Italy since the Luces arrived (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="proptosis">
<B>proptosis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an abnormal protrusion, especially of the eyeball. </DL>
<A NAME="propugnaculum">
<B>propugnaculum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-la.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a bulwark; defense. </DL>
<A NAME="propulsion">
<B>propulsion, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of driving forward or condition of being driven onward. <BR> <I>Ex. Propulsion before the wind in sailing ships was an ancient method of traveling.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a propelling force or impulse. <BR> <I>Ex. Most large aircraft are powered by propulsion of jet engines.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="propulsive">
<B>propulsive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> driving forward or onward; propelling. </DL>
<A NAME="propulsor">
<B>propulsor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> something intended to provide propulsion. <BR> <I>Ex. A propulsor for hydrofoil boats ... combines hot exhaust gases with cold water (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<B>prop word,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a substantive which adds little or no meaning to that of the adjective modifying it. In the sentence <I>Which car will you take, the old or the new one,</I> "one" is a prop word. </DL>
<A NAME="propyl">
<B>propyl, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the univalent radical of propane. </DL>
<A NAME="propylaeum">
<B>propylaeum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-laea.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a vestibule or entrance to a temple or other enclosure, especially when elaborate or of architectural importance. </DL>
<A NAME="propylalcohol">
<B>propyl alcohol,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a colorless liquid used as a solvent for waxes, oils, or resins; propanol. </DL>
<A NAME="propylene">
<B>propylene, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a colorless, gaseous hydrocarbon homologous with ethylene, used in organic synthesis. </DL>
<A NAME="propyleneglycol">
<B>propylene glycol,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a colorless, viscous, liquid compound of propylene, used as an antifreeze, as a solvent, and in organic synthesis. </DL>
<A NAME="propylic">
<B>propylic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of, having to do with, or containing propyl. </DL>
<A NAME="propylite">
<B>propylite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a volcanic rock with triclinic feldspars greatly altered by hydrothermal action, occurring in regions of silver deposits. </DL>
<A NAME="propylitic">
<B>propylitic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or like propylite. </DL>
<A NAME="propylon">
<B>propylon, </B>noun, pl. <B>-lons,</B> <B>-la.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a monumental gateway standing before the actual entrance, or pylon, of a temple or avenue, in ancient Egypt. </DL>
<A NAME="propylthiouracil">
<B>propylthiouracil, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a white, crystalline compound which inhibits thyroid activity, used to control hyperthyroidism. </DL>
<A NAME="prorata">
<B>pro rata,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> in proportion; according to the share, interest, etc., of each. <BR> <I>Ex. The preference issues will be offered pro rata to shareholders at 115 (London Daily Telegraph).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="proratable">
<B>proratable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be prorated. </DL>
<A NAME="prorate">
<B>prorate, </B>transitive verb, intransitive verb, <B>-rated,</B> <B>-rating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to distribute or assess proportionally. <BR> <I>Ex. We prorated the money according to the number of days each had worked. He is perfectly willing to prorate the special assessment (Sinclair Lewis).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="proration">
<B>proration, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a prorating, especially a restriction, by law, of oil and gas production, limiting each producer to a set proportion of his total productive capacity. </DL>
<A NAME="prore">
<B>prore, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Poetic.) the prow of a ship. <BR> <I>Ex. The tall ship whose lofty prore Shall never stem the billows more (Scott).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prorenata">
<B>pro re nata,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) as the occasion requires; to meet the emergency. (Abbr:) PRN (no periods) or P.R.N. </DL>
<B>prorogation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the discontinuance of the meetings of a lawmaking body without dissolving it. </DL>
<A NAME="prorogue">
<B>prorogue, </B>transitive verb, intransitive verb, <B>-rogued,</B> <B>-roguing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to discontinue the regular meetings of (a lawmaking body) for a time. <BR> <I>Ex. King Charles I prorogued the English Parliament.</I> (SYN) adjourn. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) to defer; postpone. </DL>
<A NAME="pros">
<B>pros.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> prosody. </DL>
<A NAME="prosage">
<B>prosage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sausage which has pure vegetable protein instead of meat. </DL>
<A NAME="prosaic">
<B>prosaic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>like prose; matter-of-fact; ordinary; not exciting. <BR> <I>Ex. No product is too prosaic or too mundane to profit greatly by attractive packaging (Wall Street Journal).</I> (SYN) commonplace, humdrum, dull, tedious. <DD><B> 2. </B>of, in, or having to do with prose. adv. <B>prosaically.</B> noun <B>prosaicness.</B> </DL>
<B>prosaist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who writes in prose; prose author. <DD><B> 2. </B>a prosaic or unpoetic person. </DL>
<A NAME="prosateur">
<B>prosateur, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) a prose writer; prosaist. </DL>
<A NAME="proscenium">
<B>proscenium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-nia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the part of the stage in front of the curtain. <DD><B> 2. </B>the curtain and the framework that holds it. <DD><B> 3. </B>the stage of an ancient theater. </DL>
<A NAME="prosceniumarch">
<B>proscenium arch,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an arch or archway or equivalent opening in the wall between the stage and the auditorium of a theater. </DL>
<A NAME="prosciutto">
<B>prosciutto, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ti,</B> <B>-tos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> dry-cured, spiced, and often smoked ham, sliced very thin and frequently served with melon or figs. </DL>
