property

[prop-er-tee]

noun

plural

properties 

1. that which a person owns; the possession or possessions of a particular owner.

   They lost all their property in the fire.

2. goods, land, etc., considered as possessions.

   The corporation is a means for the common ownership of property.

3. a piece of land or real estate.

   property on Main Street.

   Synonyms: acreage

4. ownership; right of possession, enjoyment, or disposal of anything, especially of something tangible.

   to have property in land.

5. something at the disposal of a person, a group of persons, or the community or public.

   The secret of the invention became common property.

6. an essential or distinctive attribute or quality of a thing.

   the chemical and physical properties of an element.

   Synonyms: feature

7. Logic.

   1. any attribute or characteristic.

   2. (in Aristotelian logic) an attribute not essential to a species but always connected with it and with it alone.

8. Also called prop. a usually movable item, other than costumes or scenery, used on the set of a theater production, motion picture, etc.; any object handled or used by an actor in a performance.

9. a written work, play, movie, etc., bought or optioned for commercial production or distribution.

10. a person, especially one under contract in entertainment or sports, regarded as having commercial value.

    an actor who was a hot property at the time.

property

/ ˈprɒpətɪ /

noun

1. something of value, either tangible, such as land, or intangible, such as patents, copyrights, etc

2. law the right to possess, use, and dispose of anything

3. possessions collectively or the fact of owning possessions of value

4. 1. a piece of land or real estate, esp used for agricultural purposes

   2. ( as modifier )

      property rights

5. a ranch or station, esp a small one

6. a quality, attribute, or distinctive feature of anything, esp a characteristic attribute such as the density or strength of a material

7. obsolete,  logic another name for proprium

8. Usually shortened to: prop. any movable object used on the set of a stage play or film

Other Word Forms

• propertyless noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of property¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English proprete “possession, attribute, what is one's own,” from propre proper + -te -ty ²; propriety

Word History and Origins

Origin of property¹

C13: from Old French propriété, from Latin proprietās something personal, from proprius one's own

Synonym Study

Property, chattels, effects, estate, goods refer to what is owned. Property is the general word: She owns a great deal of property. He said that the umbrella was his property. Chattels is a term for pieces of personal property or movable possessions; it may be applied to livestock, automobiles, etc.: a mortgage on chattels. Effects is a term for any form of personal property, including even things of the least value: All his effects were insured against fire. Estate refers to property of any kind that has been, or is capable of being, handed down to descendants or otherwise disposed of in a will: He left most of his estate to his niece. It may consist of personal estate (money, valuables, securities, chattels, etc.), or real estate (land and buildings). Goods refers to household possessions or other movable property, especially that comprising the stock in trade of a business: The store arranged its goods on shelves. See quality.

Example Sentences

A new German tribunal started work on Monday on resolving disputes over cultural property seized by the Nazis, a move the government hopes will streamline the process for outstanding claims.

Read more on Barron's

Her only concern is that it will show up as an asset or rental property on her end.

Read more on MarketWatch

His security cameras once captured a bobcat walking past a feral cat on his property.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The property’s current fair market value is appraised at $20 million, yielding approximately $6 million in equity beyond the lien and exemption,” the filing notes.

Read more on MarketWatch

Parts of East Yorkshire were flooded on Monday morning with fire crews needing to pump water away from properties.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• equity 
• estate 
• farm 
• goods 
• home 
• house 
• land 
• ownership 
• plot 
• tract 
• wealth 
• worth