prop
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pɹɒp/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- (General American) IPA(key): /pɹɑp/
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /pɹɔp/
- Rhymes: -ɒp
Etymology 1
From Middle English proppe (“a prop, support, support for a vine or plant”), from Middle Dutch proppe (“support, support for a vine, stopper for a bottle”). Compare Middle Low German proppe (“plug, stopper”), German Pfropfen (“plug”), Danish prop (“plug, stopper”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Also, is the rugby sense from this etymology, from the other, or from a third?”)
Noun
prop (plural props)
Derived terms
Translations
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Verb
prop (third-person singular simple present props, present participle propping, simple past and past participle propped)
- (transitive, sometimes figurative) To support or shore up something.
- Try using a phone book to prop up the table where the foot is missing.
- (intransitive) To play rugby in the prop position.
- (transitive, usually with "up" - see prop up) To position the feet of (a person) while sitting, lying down, or reclining so that the knees are elevated at a higher level.
Derived terms
Translations
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Etymology 2
Clipping of property.
Noun
prop (plural props)
- (theater, film) An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform.
- They used the trophy as a prop in the movie.
- An item placed within an advertisement in order to suggest a style of living etc.
- 2006, Michael Grecco, Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait, Amphoto Books, →ISBN, page 109:
- You can use props in a literal way to enhance the story, such as shooting a woodworker amidst woodworking tools.
Usage notes
- In stagecraft, usually the term prop is reserved for an object with which an actor or performer interacts, such as a glass, a book, or a weapon. Larger items adding to the scene, such as chairs, are considered part of the set.
- Props are often non-functional. A prop that is required to function is a "practical" prop, or simply a "practical".
- When used like an adjective (prop sword, prop gun) the implication is that it is non-functional
Translations
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Etymology 3
Clipping of propeller.
Translations
Verb
prop (third-person singular simple present props, present participle propping, simple past and past participle propped)
Etymology 4
Clipping of proposition.
Etymology 5
Clipping of propellant.
Etymology 7
Clipping of propagation.
Related terms
Etymology 8
Clipping of testosterone propionate.
Noun
prop (plural props)
- (obsolete, slang) A blow; the act of striking someone.
- 1899, Eden Phillpotts, The Human Boy Again:
- There was some good counter hits, and then Foster received a prop on the nose which drew the claret.
References
- John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Old Catalan prop, from Latin prope.
Adverb
prop
Further reading
- “prop” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /prɔp/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɔp
Noun
prop f or m (plural proppen, diminutive propje n)
- A swab, plug made of paper, cloth, slime or some other suitable material.
- A piece of paper or similar which has been crumpled into a ball-like shape, usually though not necessarily with the intent of throwing it away. → A wad of paper. Usually used in the diminutive form propje. Often the material is assumed to be paper or unimportant, but it can be specified: propje papier (paper), propje plastic (plastic), propje huishoudfolie (household plastic foil), propje aluminiumfolie (aluminium foil), propje keukenpapier (kitchen paper), propje toiletpapier (toilet paper), propje gekleurd papier (coloured paper), propje crêpepapier (crepe paper) and so on.
- An embolism. Often used in the diminutive form propje. The substance of the embolism can be indicated: bloedpropje (blood clot), vetpropje (fatty substance), cholesterolpropje (cholesterol). Note however that the last two terms are also used as derogatory words for someone who eats too much, especially fatty food.
Descendants
- → Indonesian: prop
- → Papiamentu: pròp
Indonesian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈprɔp]
- Hyphenation: prop
Noun
prop (first-person possessive propku, second-person possessive propmu, third-person possessive propnya)
Noun
prop (first-person possessive propku, second-person possessive propmu, third-person possessive propnya)
Further reading
- “prop” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Welsh
Pronunciation
- (North Wales, South Wales) IPA(key): /prɔp/
Derived terms
- prop pen rhydd (“loose-head prop”)
- prop pen tynn (“tight-head prop”)
Mutation
Welsh mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
prop | brop | mhrop | phrop |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
References
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “prop”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies