Supported or held up with something placed underneath or against it; past tense of prop.
From Middle Dutch 'proppe' (a stake or prop) or Middle Low German 'proppe.' The word entered English in the 15th century meaning to support something with an external object, like leaning a broom against a wall.
In medieval times, 'propping' was architectural—stone pillars literally propped up buildings—but the word slid into everyday use for anything from propping open a door to propping up your beliefs with arguments, showing how practical verbs become metaphorical.
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