apropos
[ap-ruh-poh]
- fitting; at the right time; to the purpose; opportunely.
- Obsolete. by the way.
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- opportune; pertinent: apropos remarks.
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- apropos of, with reference to; in respect or regard to: apropos of the preceding statement.
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Origin of apropos
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
apropos
- appropriate; pertinent
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- appropriately or pertinently
- by the way; incidentally
- apropos of (preposition) with regard to; in respect of
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Word Origin
C17: from French à propos to the purpose
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for apropos of
apropos
adv.
1660s, "opportunely," from French à propos "to the purpose," from propos "thing said in conversation, talk; purpose, plan," from Latin propositium "purpose," past participle of proponere "to set forth, propose" (see propound). Meaning "as regards" is 1761, from French. As an adjective, "to the point or purpose," from 1690s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with apropos of
apropos of
Concerning, in connection with, as in Apropos of keeping in touch, I haven't heard from her in months. This idiom was a borrowing of the French à propos de (“to the purpose of”) in the 17th century. At first it was used without of and meant “fitting” or “opportune,” as in Their prompt arrival was very appropos. By the 1700s it was also being used with of, as in the current idiom, for “concerning” or “by way of.”
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.