proper noun

[ prop-er noun ]

noun

1. Grammar. a noun that is used to denote a particular person, place, or thing, as Lincoln, Sarah, Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Hall. Compare common noun.

proper noun

noun

1. the name of a person, place, or object, as for example Iceland, Patrick, or Uranus Compare common noun onomastic

Grammar Note

Proper nouns are not normally preceded by an article or other limiting modifier, as any or some. Nor are they usually pluralized. But the language allows for exceptions. Proper nouns may occasionally have a definite article as part of the name, as in the case of some ships, organizations, and hotels, as The Titanic, The Humane Society, and The Plaza. An indefinite article is appropriate when you use a name as an exemplar: She looks like a young Elizabeth Taylor! And there is sometimes a reason for treating a name as if it were a generic: There are four Devons in my class. Proper nouns, usually capitalized in English, are arbitrary, in that a name can be given to someone or something without regard to any descriptive meaning the word or phrase may otherwise have.

Word History and Origins

Origin of proper noun¹

First recorded in 1490–1500

Example Sentences

The proper noun when spoken can be confused for the common noun.

From The Daily Beast

“The Great Depression” as a proper noun only came into popular use in the 1950s, long after the event was over.

From The Daily Beast

Thus "John Smith" (particular; proper noun) and "Man" (general; common noun).

From Project Gutenberg

An apostrophe is used inconsistently with the proper noun Bruening or Bruenings.

From Project Gutenberg

A proper noun is a name applied to a particular object, whether person, place, or thing.

From Project Gutenberg

The proper noun comes first in appositive expressions: lfred cyning, Sidroc eorl, Hahmund bisceop.

From Project Gutenberg

The "s" in "street" following a proper noun is sometimes with an initial capital and sometimes with lower case.

From Project Gutenberg