Where does “proper” come from?
proper (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch proper, from Old French propre, from Latin prōprius.
proper (Dutch): clean
Ancestry of “proper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | proper | — |
| 2 | Old French | propre | own; proper, appropriate, correct; special |
| 3 | Latin | prōprius | — |