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REFERENCE

property

n.
US //ˈpɹɑpɝti// UK //pɹˈɒpəti// prop·er·ty
  1. 1 real estate (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a building or a piece of land that someone owns.

    a piece of real estate, such as a parcel of land or a building. Often used uncountably to refer to the sector or industry.

    Example

    The value of property in this neighborhood has increased significantly lately.

    Example

    The developer acquired several commercial properties along the waterfront with the intention of converting them into luxury apartments.
  2. 2 possessions (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    things that belong to someone.

    something that is owned; a possession or a collection of possessions. Usually uncountable in this sense.

    Example

    Please make sure you take all your personal property with you when you leave the train.

    Example

    The police recovered the stolen property and returned it to the rightful owners after the investigation concluded.
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  1. 3 a characteristic (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Science

    a quality or power that a thing has.

    an attribute, quality, or characteristic of a substance or object.

    Example

    One property of copper is that it conducts heat very well.

    Example

    The chemical properties of the new alloy make it resistant to corrosion even in extreme maritime environments.
  2. 4 theatre prop (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Theatre

    an object used by actors during a play or film.

    a portable object used on the set of a play or film. Usually used in the shortened form 'prop'.

    Example

    The stage manager was responsible for finding all the historical properties for the play.

    Example

    The production designer insisted on authentic period properties to enhance the realism of the Victorian drawing-room scene.
  3. 5 computing attribute (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a setting or piece of information about a file or program.

    a named attribute of an object or a data element that defines one of its characteristics.

    Example

    Right-click on the file and select properties to see how large it is.

    Example

    The developer modified the object's properties to ensure the interface would scale correctly on mobile devices.
Origin

From Middle English propertee, properte, propirte, proprete, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French propreté, proprieté (“propriety, fitness, property”), from Latin proprietās (“a peculiarity, one's peculiar nature or quality, right or fact of possession, property”), from proprius (“special, particular, one's own”). Equivalent to proper + -ty. Doublet of propriety.

Word family
  • Nounprop
  • Nounproperty

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