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I was reading a book and it said:"The coastline length of the United States proper is 22,860 km. What does "United States proper" mean here? Another phrase would be:"Her family lived outside the city proper". Is the word "proper" a noun here? What is its definition in this context?

  • Did you look at a dictionary? Hint: there is only one definition for a postpositive adjective. – Laurel Jan 05 '18 at 04:51
  • I strongly suspect that the wording "the United States proper" excludes the coastlines of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, etc., from consideration. – Sven Yargs Jan 06 '18 at 00:28

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In this sense usually appearing after the word it modifies, proper means "in the strictest sense of the word." The United States proper means the forty-eight contiguous states, but this usage is, well, improper, since no matter how stricly one construes United States, Alaska and Hawaii are still "proper" states. Boston proper would mean within the city limits of Boston rather than a suburb.

KarlG
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    I would say this covers most uses, but I would add that some people might use "United States proper" to mean the 50 official states, but not the associated territories like Puerto Rico or Guam. It can be context-sensitive. – Aiken Drum Jan 05 '18 at 09:21
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    Clearly it doesn't, since that coastline measurement includes AK and HI. Link – Phil Sweet Jan 05 '18 at 21:53