Relating to ownership or exclusive rights to something. Often used to describe products, information, or technology owned by a particular company.
From Latin 'proprietarius' meaning 'of property', from 'proprietas' meaning 'ownership, property'. Evolved from basic property concepts to modern intellectual property and business exclusivity rights.
The word 'proprietary' bridges ancient Roman property law and modern tech patents - your smartphone's proprietary software connects directly to legal concepts that governed Roman real estate two millennia ago.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.