[syn: property, prop]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Property \Prop"er*ty\, n.; pl. Properties. [OE. proprete, OF.
propret['e] property, F. propret['e] neatness, cleanliness,
propri['e]t['e] property, fr. L. proprietas. See Proper,
a., and cf. Propriety.]
[1913 Webster]
1. That which is proper to anything; a peculiar quality of a
thing; that which is inherent in a subject, or naturally
essential to it; an attribute; as, sweetness is a property
of sugar.
[1913 Webster]
Property is correctly a synonym for peculiar
quality; but it is frequently used as coextensive
with quality in general. --Sir W.
Hamilton.
[1913 Webster]
Note: In physical science, the properties of matter are
distinguished to the three following classes: 1.
Physical properties, or those which result from the
relations of bodies to the physical agents, light,
heat, electricity, gravitation, cohesion, adhesion,
etc., and which are exhibited without a change in the
composition or kind of matter acted on. They are color,
luster, opacity, transparency, hardness, sonorousness,
density, crystalline form, solubility, capability of
osmotic diffusion, vaporization, boiling, fusion, etc.
2. Chemical properties, or those which are conditioned
by affinity and composition; thus, combustion,
explosion, and certain solutions are reactions
occasioned by chemical properties. Chemical properties
are identical when there is identity of composition and
structure, and change according as the composition
changes. 3. Organoleptic properties, or those forming a
class which can not be included in either of the other
two divisions. They manifest themselves in the contact
of substances with the organs of taste, touch, and
smell, or otherwise affect the living organism, as in
the manner of medicines and poisons.
[1913 Webster]
2. An acquired or artificial quality; that which is given by
art, or bestowed by man; as, the poem has the properties
which constitute excellence.
[1913 Webster]
3. The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying, and disposing
of a thing; ownership; title.
[1913 Webster]
Here I disclaim all my paternal care,
Propinquity and property of blood. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Shall man assume a property in man? --Wordsworth.
[1913 Webster]
4. That to which a person has a legal title, whether in his
possession or not; thing owned; an estate, whether in
lands, goods, or money; as, a man of large property, or
small property.
[1913 Webster]
5. pl. All the adjuncts of a play except the scenery and the
dresses of the actors; stage requisites.
[1913 Webster]
I will draw a bill of properties. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
6. Propriety; correctness. [Obs.] --Camden.
[1913 Webster]
Literary property. (Law) See under Literary.
Property man, one who has charge of the "properties" of a
theater.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Property \Prop"er*ty\, v. t.
[1913 Webster]
1. To invest which properties, or qualities. [Obs.] --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. To make a property of; to appropriate. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
They have here propertied me. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
property
n 1: something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that
is owned by someone; "that hat is my property"; "he is a
man of property"; [syn: property, belongings,
holding]
2: a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a
class; "a study of the physical properties of atomic
particles"
3: any area set aside for a particular purpose; "who owns this
place?"; "the president was concerned about the property
across from the White House" [syn: place, property]
4: a construct whereby objects or individuals can be
distinguished; "self-confidence is not an endearing property"
[syn: property, attribute, dimension]
5: any movable articles or objects used on the set of a play or
movie; "before every scene he ran down his checklist of
props" [syn: property, prop]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
259 Moby Thesaurus words for "property":
acreage, acres, adverse possession, affection, affluence, alodium,
aroma, assets, attribute, available means, badge, balance, banner,
belongings, blackface, body-build, bottomless purse, brand,
bulging purse, burgage, cachet, capital, capital goods,
capitalization, cast, character, characteristic, characteristics,
chattels, chattels real, claim, clown white, colony, complexion,
composition, configuration, constituents, constitution, costume,
crasis, cut, de facto, de jure, demesne, dependency,
derivative title, device, dharma, diathesis, differentia,
differential, disposition, distinctive feature, domain, dominion,
earmark, easy circumstances, effects, embarras de richesses,
estate, ethos, feature, fee fief, fee position, fee simple,
fee simple absolute, fee simple conditional, fee simple defeasible,
fee simple determinable, fee tail, feodum, feud, fiber, fiefdom,
figure, flavor, fortune, frame, frankalmoign, free socage,
freehold, fund, gavelkind, gear, genius, gold, grain, greasepaint,
grist, grounds, gust, habit, hallmark, handsome fortune,
having title to, high income, high tax bracket, hold, holding,
holdings, honor, hue, humor, humors, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, ilk,
image, impress, impression, independence, index, indicant,
indicator, individualism, insignia, keynote, kind, knight service,
land, landed property, lands, lay fee, lease, leasehold,
legal claim, legal possession, lineaments, liquid assets, lot,
lots, lucre, luxuriousness, makeup, mammon, mandate, mannerism,
manor, mark, marking, material wealth, means, measure, messuage,
mold, money, money to burn, moneybags, nature, note, occupancy,
occupation, oddity, odor, opulence, opulency, original title,
owning, paraphernalia, parcel, particularity, peculiarity, pelf,
physique, picture, plat, plot, possessing, possession, possessions,
possessorship, practical piece, praedium, preoccupancy,
preoccupation, prepossession, prescription, prop, property rights,
proprietary, proprietary rights, proprietorship, prosperity,
prosperousness, quadrat, quality, quiddity, quirk, real estate,
real property, realty, representation, representative, resource,
resources, riches, richness, savor, seal, seisin, shape, sigil,
sign, signal, signature, singularity, six-figure income, smack,
socage, somatotype, sort, specialty, spirit, squatting, stamp,
streak, stripe, sublease, substance, suchness, supply, sure sign,
symptom, system, taint, tang, taste, telltale sign, temper,
temperament, tenancy, tenantry, tendency, tenements, tenor, tenure,
tenure in chivalry, theatrical makeup, title, toft, token, tone,
trait, treasure, trick, type, underlease, undertenancy,
upper bracket, usucapion, vein, villein socage, villeinhold,
villenage, virtue, way, wealth, wealthiness, worth
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):
PROPERTY, n. Any material thing, having no particular value, that may
be held by A against the cupidity of B. Whatever gratifies the
passion for possession in one and disappoints it in all others. The
object of man's brief rapacity and long indifference.