Definitions and meaning of prop
prop
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pɹɒp/
- (General American, dialects of Canada) IPA(key): /pɹɑp/
- (Canada, dialects of the US) IPA(key): /pɹɒp/
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /pɹɔp/
- (New Zealand) IPA(key): /pɹɒp/
- 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)
- An object placed against or under another, to support it; anything that supports.
- (rugby) The player on either side of the hooker in a scrum.
- Any of the seashells in the game of props.
Derived terms
Translations
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.
- (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.
- (transitive, UK, slang, obsolete) To knock (a person) down.
Derived terms
Translations
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.
- An item placed within an advertisement in order to suggest a style of living etc.
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
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 3
Clipping of propeller.
Noun
prop (plural props)
- The propeller of an aircraft or boat.
Derived terms
- propshaft
- propwash
- turboprop
Translations
Verb
prop (third-person singular simple present props, present participle propping, simple past and past participle propped)
- To manually start the engine of a propeller-driven aircraft with no electric starter by pulling vigorously on one of the propeller blades using the hands, so that the propeller can catch ignition.
Derived terms
Etymology 4
Clipping of proposition.
Noun
prop (plural props)
- A proposition, especially on an election-day ballot.
Etymology 5
Clipping of propellant.
Noun
prop (plural props)
- (astronautics) propellant (“rocket fuel”)
Derived terms
Etymology 6
Noun
prop (plural props)
- (gambling, informal) Clipping of proposition player.
Etymology 7
Clipping of propagation.
Noun
prop (plural props)
- (Internet slang) A part of a plant reared for its multiplication.
Related terms
Etymology 8
Clipping of testosterone propionate.
Noun
prop (uncountable)
- (bodybuilding slang) Testosterone propionate.
- Synonym: test prop
Etymology 9
Noun
prop (plural props)
- (obsolete, slang) A blow; the act of striking someone.
- (obsolete, thieves' cant) A scarf pin.
References
- John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Old Catalan prop, from Latin prope.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈpɾɔp]
Adverb
prop
- (especially after "a") near, nearby
- No el vull a prop meu ― I don't want him near me
- (followed by "de") near to
- Ja devem ser prop del mar ― Now we must be near to the sea
- (followed by "de") about, around, roughly
- Fa prop de tres-cents anys ― It was about three hundred years ago
Derived terms
Further reading
- “prop”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
Dutch
Etymology
Inherited from Middle Dutch proppe. Further etymology unknown.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /prɔp/
-
- 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
- (in compounds) an embolism
Derived terms
Descendants
- → Indonesian: prop
- → Papiamentu: pròp
Verb
prop
- inflection of proppen:
- first-person singular present indicative
- (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
- imperative
Indonesian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈprɔp]
- Hyphenation: prop
Etymology 1
From Dutch prop.
Noun
prop (plural prop-prop)
- (colloquial) cork plug
Etymology 2
From English prop (“property”), or a clipping of properti.
Noun
prop (plural prop-prop)
- (art) property, an item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform
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
Etymology
Borrowed from English prop.
Pronunciation
- (North Wales, South Wales) IPA(key): /prɔp/
Noun
prop
- prop, support
- (film, theater) prop
- (rugby) prop
Derived terms
- prop penrhydd (“loosehead prop”)
- prop pentynn (“tighthead prop”)
Mutation
References
Source: wiktionary.org