Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “impropriety” come from?

Impropriety derives from French impropriété, formed from French in- and Latin proprius meaning "one's own," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁én and ne combined with the suffix -tós.

impropriety (English): The condition of being improper; An improper act;...

Definitions

  1. The condition of being improper; An improper act;...

Ancestry of “impropriety”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchimpropriétéimpropriety; incorrectness, inaccuracy
2Frenchpropriétéproperty; property, attribute
3Old FrenchproprietéAlternative form of propreté; propriety, fitness,...
4Latinproprietās—
5Latin-tās—
6Proto-Indo-European-teh₂tsUsed to form nouns representing state of being
7Proto-Indo-European-teh₂Used to form nouns representing state of being
8Proto-Indo-European-tósCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tós →