Where does “proper” come from?
proper (Catalan) comes from Catalan prop, from Old Catalan prop, from Latin prope, from Proto-Indo-European prokʷe, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
proper (Catalan): near, close; neighbouring; next
Definitions
- near, close; neighbouring; next
Ancestry of “proper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Catalan | prop | near, nearby; near to; about, around, roughly |
| 2 | Old Catalan | prop | — |
| 3 | Latin | prope | near, nearby, nigh; close in time; almost, nearly |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | prokʷe | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |