Proprietary
WordNet
adjective
(1) Protected by trademark or patent or copyright; made or produced or distributed by one having exclusive rights
"`Tylenol' is a proprietary drug of which `acetaminophen' is the generic form"
noun
(2) An unincorporated business owned by a single person who is responsible for its liabilities and entitled to its profits
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From French propriétaire < Latin proprietarius. Compare with the Latin proprietas (property), and proprius (ownership).
Adjective
- Of or relating to property or ownership, as proprietary rights.
- Of or relating to the quality of being an owner, as the proprietary class.
- Manufactured exclusively by the owner of intellectual property rights (IPR), as with a patent or trade secret.
- The continuous profitability of the company is based on its many proprietary products.
- Privately owned, as a proprietary lake.
- Possessive, jealous, or territorial.