proprietary: Meaning and Definition of

pro•pri•e•tar•y

Pronunciation: (pru-prī'i-ter"ē), [key]
— adj., n., pl. -tar•ies.
—adj.
  1. belonging to a proprietor.
  2. being a proprietor; holding property: the proprietary class.
  3. pertaining to property or ownership: proprietary wealth.
  4. belonging or controlled as property.
  5. manufactured and sold only by the owner of the patent, formula, brand name, or trademark associated with the product: proprietary medicine.
  6. privately owned and operated for profit: proprietary hospitals.
—n.
  1. an owner or proprietor.
  2. a body of proprietors.
  3. the grantee or owner, or one of the grantees or owners, of a proprietary colony.
  4. ownership.
  5. something owned, esp. real estate.
  6. a proprietary medicine.
  7. Also calleda school organized as a profit-making venture primarily to teach vocational skills or self-improvement techniques.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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