property

[ prop-er-tee ]

noun

, plural prop·er·ties.

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. any movable object used on the set of a stage play or film Usually shortened toprop

Other Words From

• proper·ty·less 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

The event was the shared property of Forsythe, 87, an American businessman and auto racing magnate, and Kalkhoven, his Australian-born partner.

From Los Angeles Times

Sir Tom, from New Cumnock in East Ayrshire, started in business selling trainers from the back of a van but eventually built a property and equity business once valued at more than £1bn.

From BBC

Familiar intellectual property has already been tested with audiences, in the same way that films based on video games, comic books or novels have a built-in base.

From Los Angeles Times

The proposal would enable developers to build more than currently allowed and receive breaks on height and parking if they include a certain percentage of affordable units — and the property is near transit or along a major street near jobs and good schools.

From Los Angeles Times

Incentives would apply in single-family zones only if a property is owned by a public agency or a faith-based organization, which accounts for 1% of the city’s single-family lots.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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