proprietary

[pruh-prahy-i-ter-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR proprietary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

belonging to a proprietor.

being a proprietor; holding property: the proprietary class.

pertaining to property or ownership: proprietary wealth.

belonging or controlled as property.

(of a brand name, product, service, formula, etc.) protected by a patent, copyright, or trademark: proprietary drugs; a proprietary name; a proprietary logo; a proprietary blend of ingredients.

privately owned and operated for profit: proprietary hospitals.

noun, plural pro·pri·e·tar·ies.

an owner or proprietor.

a body of proprietors.

American History. the grantee or owner, or one of the grantees or owners, of a proprietary colony.

ownership.

something owned, especially real estate.

a proprietary medicine.

Also called proprietary school. a school organized as a profit-making venture primarily to teach vocational skills or self-improvement techniques.

Origin of proprietary

1400–50; late Middle English (noun) < Medieval Latin proprietārius owner, noun use of Late Latin: of an owner, of ownership. See propriety, -ary

Related formspro·pri·e·tar·i·ly

[pruh-prahy-i-tair-i-lee, -prahy-i-ter-] /prəˌpraɪ ɪˈtɛər ɪ li, -ˈpraɪ ɪˌtɛr-/, adverbnon·pro·pri·e·tar·y, adjective, noun, plural non·pro·pri·e·tar·ies.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for proprietary

custody, plot, land, wealth, estate, farm, house, tract, goods, ownership, equity, home, worth, assistance, drug, remedy, treatment, medicine, aid, placebo

Examples from the Web for proprietary

Contemporary Examples of proprietary

The Volcker Rule, a component of the far-reaching Dodd-Frank law, required large banks to cut back on proprietary trading.
The Incredible 'Wussiness' Of The Fed Vs Goldman Sachs—Caught On Tape
Daniel Gross
September 26, 2014
That data is available only to publishers through their vendors and is proprietary unless released to the public.
Hillary’s Book Sales Are Weak by Clinton Standards
Jason Pinter
June 18, 2014
Nor did Microsoft transform its proprietary operating system into open-source code.
Tesla’s Radical Patent Move is a Plot to Take Over the Road
Daniel Gross
June 15, 2014
The company created customized mixtapes at the point-of-sale with its own proprietary technology.
Apple Wants Beats So It Can Control You
Ted Gioia
May 12, 2014
The CleanTech Open Global Forum, where they won the National Sustainability award in 2013, has lauded his proprietary system.
America’s Next Agricultural Revolution Will Happen Indoors
Sarah Kunst
April 26, 2014

Historical Examples of proprietary

He always said "your Bible," as if church members held a proprietary right.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
"My daughters," said Olivo, turning to Casanova with a proprietary air.
Casanova's Homecoming
Arthur Schnitzler
It will readily be seen how advantageous these proprietary rights must have been to the wife.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
The proprietary interest which she had always felt in him was more than ever hers now.
The Portygee
Joseph Crosby Lincoln
"I have a plan for her," said Harold, with a proprietary air.
Quin
Alice Hegan Rice

British Dictionary definitions for proprietary

proprietary

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to property or proprietors

privately owned and controlled

med of or denoting a drug or agent manufactured and distributed under a trade nameCompare ethical (def. 3)

noun plural -taries

med a proprietary drug or agent

a proprietor or proprietors collectively

right to property
property owned

Also called: lord proprietary (in Colonial America) an owner, governor, or grantee of a proprietary colony

Derived Formsproprietarily, adverb

Word Origin for proprietary

C15: from Late Latin proprietārius an owner, from proprius one's own

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for proprietary

adj.

mid-15c., "possessing worldly goods in excess of a cleric's needs," from Medieval Latin proprietarius "owner of property," noun use of Late Latin adjective proprietarius "of a property holder," from Latin proprietas "owner" (see property). Meaning "held in private ownership" is first attested 1580s. The word was used earlier in English as a noun meaning "proprietor," also "worldly person" (c.1400), from a noun use in French and Medieval Latin.

proprietary in Medicine

proprietary

[prə-prī′ĭ-tĕr′ē]

adj.

Exclusively owned, as of a hospital.

Owned by an individual or corporation under a trademark or patent, as of a drug.

n.

A proprietary medicine.