Etymograph

English

proper motion

Proper motion comes from Latin proprius ‘appropriate to oneself: (one's) proper,…’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEproprius1‘appropriate to oneself: (one's) proper, (one's) own (inalienably)’
  2. Englishtodayproper motion1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English proper motion

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpropriusWiktionary, English proper motion‘appropriate to oneself: (one's) proper, (one's) own (inalienably)’
  2. Englishtodayproper motionWiktionary, English proper motion

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *preyH- ‘to please’

friend, freedom, fray, impropriety, 6 more

through Proto-Indo-European *priHós ‘dear’

free, frith, 4 more

through Proto-Italic *pro-

purchase, protrude, 7 more

through Latin proprius ‘appropriate to oneself: (one's) proper,…’

improper, appropriation, reproach, propriety, 10 more

Today it means

noun The change in apparent position of a celestial body due to that body's velocity relative to the Sun.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “proper motion”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin proprius / proper motion

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