continent
UK /ˈkɒntɪnənt/ · US /ˈkɑntɪnənt/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Forms continents the Continent
- noun (geography, geology) One of the main contiguous landmasses, separated by water or geological features, on the surface of a planet, sometimes including its continental shelves and the islands on them.
- noun (sociogeography) Each of the traditional main regions into which the Earth’s land surface is divided, including both an extent of mainland and various conventionally associated islands, etc; namely, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, North America, South America, and Antarctica.
- noun (obsolete in general sense) A large contiguous landmass as opposed to its islands, peninsulas, and so forth; mainland. Also specifically, the Old World continent of Europe–Asia–Africa: see the Continent.
- noun (figurative) A large connected expanse of something in general.
- noun (obsolete) Any continuous tract or area of land; country, connected region.
- noun (obsolete) Land (as opposed to the water), dry land.
- noun (obsolete) The body or mass of a celestial body such as the sun or moon.
- noun (obsolete) Container, vessel, something that holds or contains something else.
- adjective Exercising self-restraint; controlled, temperate with respect to one’s bodily needs or passions, especially sex.
- adjective Having voluntary control over one’s urination or defecation.
- adjective (obsolete) Not interrupted; connected; continuous, whether in time or space. “a continent fever”
- adjective (obsolete) Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
- adjective (obsolete) Containing or capable of containing.
- proper noun (obsolete) The Old World.
- proper noun (UK, Ireland) Mainland Europe, as seen from the British Isles.
- noun An Encratite.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin continens, noun use of present participle of continēre (“to contain”).
From Middle English contynent, from Old French continent, from Latin continentem (“continuous; holding together”), present participle of continēre (“to contain”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing. [Obs.] Shak.
- adjective Exercising restraint as to the indulgence of desires or passions; temperate; moderate.
- noun That which contains anything; a receptacle. [Obs.]
- noun One of the grand divisions of land on the globe; the main land; specifically (Phys. Geog.), a large body of land differing from an island, not merely in its size, but in its structure, which is that of a large basin bordered by mountain chains; as, the continent of North America.
Etymology [L. continens, -entis, prop., p. pr. of continere to hold together, to repress: cf. F. continent. See Contain.]
Etymology [L. continens, prop., a holding together: cf. F. continent. See Continent, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “continent”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details