Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
PROPRIETARY
I. noun (plural -taries)
Etymology: Middle English propietarie, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin propietarius, from Late Latin, adjective
Date: 15th century
one that possesses, owns, or holds exclusive right to something, something that is used, produced, or marketed under exclusive legal right of the inventor or maker, a business secretly owned by and run as a cover for an intelligence organization,
II. adjective see: property
Date: 1589
of, relating to, or characteristic of a proprietor , used, made, or marketed by one having the exclusive legal right , privately owned and managed and run as a profit-making organization