continent

[kon-tn-uhnt]

noun

1. one of the main landmasses of the globe, usually reckoned as seven in number (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica).

2. a comparable landmass on another planet.

3. the mainland, as distinguished from islands or peninsulas.

4. the Continent, the mainland of Europe, as distinguished from the British Isles.

5. a continuous tract or extent, as of land.

6. Archaic.,  something that serves as a container or boundary.

adjective

1. exercising or characterized by restraint in relation to the desires or passions and especially to sexual desires; temperate.

2. able to control urinary and fecal discharge.

3. Obsolete.,  containing; being a container; capacious.

4. Obsolete.,  restraining or restrictive.

5. Obsolete.,  continuous; forming an uninterrupted tract, as land.

continent

¹

/ ˈkɒntɪnənt, ˌkɒntɪˈnɛntəl /

noun

1. one of the earth's large land masses (Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, and Antarctica)

2. that part of the earth's crust that rises above the oceans and is composed of sialic rocks. Including the continental shelves, the continents occupy 30 per cent of the earth's surface

3. obsolete

   1. mainland as opposed to islands

   2. a continuous extent of land

continent

²

/ ˈkɒntɪnənt /

adjective

1. able to control urination and defecation

2. exercising self-restraint, esp from sexual activity; chaste

Continent

³

/ ˈkɒntɪnənt /

noun

1. the mainland of Europe as distinguished from the British Isles

continent

1. One of the seven great landmasses of the Earth. The continents are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Other Word Forms

• uncontinent adjective
• uncontinently adverb
• continental adjective
• continentally adverb
• continently adverb
• continence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of continent¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin continent-, stem of continēns “holding together,” present participle of continēre “to hold together, keep in position,” equivalent to con- con- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre “to hold”; contain

Word History and Origins

Origin of continent¹

C16: from the Latin phrase terra continens continuous land, from continēre ; see _contain

Origin of continent²

C14: from Latin continent-, present participle of continēre; see _contain

Example Sentences

The mixed reactions to Machado’s award, both in Venezuela and across the continent, reflect the complicated politics and shifting alliances in the region.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The empire now has operations on five continents, including factories and warehouses.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The history of slavery under Islam involved multiple forms of bondage that stretched across continents and generations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Africa’s Great Green Wall is an ambitious project to counter the expansion of the Sahara Desert by planting a 5,000-mile greenbelt across the continent, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“We tell young people in different countries what is really happening on the Black continent. Before playing, many players didn’t know the names of many African countries, let alone the Sahel region.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal