mainland

¹ American  

[meyn-land, -luhnd] / ˈmeɪnˌlænd, -lənd /

noun

1. the principal land of a country, region, etc., as distinguished from adjacent islands or a peninsula.

   the mainland of Greece.

2. any part of or all of the continental United States or conterminous United States, especially from the perspective of someone in a geographically detached U.S. state or territory, such as Hawaii or Guam.

   I’m not sure where on the mainland Jasmine went to college, but it may have been Milwaukee.

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Mainland ² American  

[meyn-land, -luhnd] / ˈmeɪnˌlænd, -lənd /

noun

1. the largest of the Shetland Islands. About 200 sq. mi. (520 sq. km).

2. Pomona.

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Mainland ¹ British  

/ ˈmeɪnlənd /

noun

1. an island off N Scotland: the largest of the Shetland Islands. Chief town: Lerwick. Pop: 17 550 (2001). Area: about 583 sq km (225 sq miles)

2. Also called: Pomona.  an island off N Scotland: the largest of the Orkney Islands. Chief town: Kirkwall. Pop: 15 315 (2001). Area: 492 sq km (190 sq miles)

3. a South Islanders' name for South Island

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mainland ² British  

/ ˈmeɪnlənd /

noun

1. the main part of a land mass as opposed to an island or peninsula

2. a particular landmass as viewed from a nearby island with which it has close links, such as Great Britain as viewed from Northern Ireland or continental Australia as viewed from Tasmania

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Other Word Forms

• mainlander noun

Etymology

Origin of mainland

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; main ¹, land

Example Sentences

The disaster struck at dawn on Wednesday -- late evening in mainland France -- in the eastern village of Afaahiti after a week of heavy rain.

From Barron's

When researchers compared lentils grown on the Spanish mainland with modern lentils from the Canary Islands, DNA analyses indicated that lentils from Lanzarote had been cross-bred with Spanish varieties.

From Science Daily

Of 131 factories and industrial sites recognized by the World Economic Forum globally for lifting productivity through cutting edge technologies such as AI, 45 are in mainland China, while three are in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Epstein moved his business in the late 1990s from the mainland to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now Keira is one of many Greenlandic families living on the Danish mainland who are fighting to get their children returned to them after they were removed by social services.

From BBC

Related Words

• continent