Nonproprietary

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Designating goods or services that are not exclusively owned by any individual or company
2. Characterizing software and resources that the public can access and utilize without payment or restrictions
3. Describing products, services, or information that can be freely used, adapted, and shared by anyone without ownership claims or royalties

Etymology: The prefix "non-" has a long pedigree in English. It descends from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "not" and "one," passing through Old English "nān" (literally "not one," which became "none") and Middle English "non." The adjective "proprietary" is the older half: it comes from the idea of ownership, rooted in Latin "proprietas," meaning "property" or "one's own." Put together, "nonproprietary" simply means "not owned," so the word is a plain compound rather than a coinage with a famous backstory. The most striking thing here is how the prefix got there. What began as the word for "not one" in Old English gradually became the ordinary negating element we now attach to almost any noun or adjective. "Nonproprietary" is one of countless modern formations in which that small syllable does the work of "not," and the compound reads transparently: something that is not held as anyone's private property.

Synonyms: generic, unbranded, public

Antonyms: proprietary, exclusive