1. Not proper; not suitable; not fitted to the circumstances, design, or end; unfit; not becoming; incongruous; inappropriate; indecent; as,
an improper medicine; improper thought, behavior, language, dress.
Follow'd his enemy king, and did him service,
Improper for a slave.
Shak.
And to their proper operation still,
Ascribe all Good; to their improper, Ill.
Pope. 2. Not peculiar or appropriate to individuals; general; common. [Obs.]
Not to be adorned with any art but such improper ones as nature is said to bestow, as singing and
poetry.
J. Fletcher. 3. Not according to facts; inaccurate; erroneous.
Improper diphthong.
See under Diphthong. — Improper feud, an original feud, not earned by
military service. Mozley & W. — Improper fraction. See under Fraction.
Improper
(Im*prop"er), v. t. To appropriate; to limit. [Obs.]
He would in like manner improper and inclose the sunbeams to comfort the rich and not the poor.
Jewel. Improperation
(Im*prop`er*a"tion) n. [L. improperare, improperatum, to taunt.] The act of upbraiding
or taunting; a reproach; a taunt. [Obs.]
Improperatios and terms of scurrility.
Sir T. Browne Improperia
(||Im`pro*pe"ri*a) n. pl. [L., reproaches.] (Mus.) A series of antiphons and responses, expressing
the sorrowful remonstrance of our Lord with his people; — sung on the morning of the Good Friday in
place of the usual daily Mass of the Roman ritual. Grove.
Improperly
(Im*prop"er*ly) adv. In an improper manner; not properly; unsuitably; unbecomingly.
Improperty
(Im*prop"er*ty) n. Impropriety. [Obs.]
Impropitious
(Im`pro*pi"tious) a. Unpropitious; unfavorable. [Obs.] "Dreams were impropitious." Sir H.
Wotton.
Improportionable
(Im`pro*por"tion*a*ble) a. Not proportionable. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Improportionate
(Im`pro*por"tion*ate) a. Not proportionate. [Obs.]
Impropriate
(Im*pro"pri*ate) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impropriated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Impropriating ] [Pref.
im- in + L. propriatus, p. p. of propriare to appropriate. See Appropriate.]
1. To appropriate to one's self; to assume. [Obs.]
To impropriate the thanks to himself.
Bacon. 2. (Eng. Eccl. Law) To place the profits of (ecclesiastical property) in the hands of a layman for care
and disbursement.
Impropriate
(Im*pro"pri*ate), v. i. To become an impropriator. [R.]
Impropriate
(Im*pro"pri*ate) a. (Eng. Eccl. Law) Put into the hands of a layman; impropriated.
Impropriation
(Im*pro`pri*a"tion) n.