proprietary

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an unincorporated business owned by a single person who is responsible for its liabilities and entitled to its profits
  2. adjective protected by trademark or patent or copyright; made or produced or distributed by one having exclusive rights

Etymology

From French propriétaire, from Latin proprietārius. By surface analysis, propriety + -ary. Compare with the Latin proprietas (“property”) and proprius (“ownership”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

proprietorship

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