contained

[ kuh n-teynd ]

/ kənˈteɪnd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contained ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

showing restraint or calmness; controlled; poised: She was contained throughout the ordeal.

Nearby words

Origin of contained

First recorded in 1400–50, contained is from the late Middle English word conteynyd. See contain, -ed²

Related formscon·tain·ed·ly

[kuh n-tey-nid-lee] /kənˈteɪ nɪd li/, adverbsub·con·tained, adjectiveun·con·tained, adjectivewell-con·tained, adjective

contain

[ kuhn-teyn ]

/ kənˈteɪn /

verb (used with object)

to hold or include within its volume or area: This glass contains water. This paddock contains our best horses.

to be capable of holding; have capacity for: The room will contain 75 persons safely.

to have as contents or constituent parts; comprise; include.

to keep under proper control; restrain: He could not contain his amusement.

to prevent or limit the expansion, influence, success, or advance of (a hostile nation, competitor, opposing force, natural disaster, etc.): to contain an epidemic.

to succeed in preventing the spread of: efforts to contain water pollution.

Mathematics. (of a number) to be a multiple of; be divisible by, without a remainder: Ten contains five.

to be equal to: A quart contains two pints.

Origin of contain

1250–1300; Middle English conte(y)nen < Anglo-French contener, Old French contenir < Latin continēre, equivalent to con- con- + tenēre to hold (see tenet)

SYNONYMS FOR contain

3. embody, embrace.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contain ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formscon·tain·a·ble, adjectivepre·con·tain, verb (used with object)un·con·tain·a·ble, adjective

Synonym study

1. Contain, accommodate, hold, express the idea that something is so designed that something else can exist or be placed within it. Contain refers to what is actually within a given container. Hold emphasizes the idea of keeping within bounds; it refers also to the greatest amount or number that can be kept within a given container. Accommodate means to contain comfortably or conveniently, or to meet the needs of a certain number. A passenger plane that accommodates 50 passengers may be able to hold 60, but at a given time may contain only 30.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contained

Coca-Cola was a wildly popular drink and hangover remedy because, well, it contained cocaine.
History's Craziest Hangover Cures|Justin Jones|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to court testimony by the lead NCIS investigator, it contained various mobile phones and even valuable letters.
The Navy ‘Hero’ Who Pimped an HIV-Positive Teen|M.L. Nestel|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You may be wondering what work of monumental consequence is contained within these gilded pages.
Rand Paul’s Many Leather-Bound Books|Olivia Nuzzi|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many of the answers to how we make the world better for children—and better for all of us—are contained here.
To End HIV, Stop Violence Against Adolescent Girls|Michele Moloney-Kitts|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The Ebola epidemic is containable, but it has not been contained.
Fighting Ebola and Starvation in Sierra Leone|Abby Haglage|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It contained no note, but the address was in Winnie's handwriting.
Frank Merriwell's Reward|Burt L. Standish
Like the Roman or English law, they contained innumerable particulars.
Laws|Plato
This was a fine house, and contained the room which afterwards became celebrated under the name of the "Auger Hole."
Stories of New Jersey|Frank Richard Stockton
He discovered during the long and intricate ascent that the house, or rather tower, contained a singular variety of inmates.
The King of Alsander|James Elroy Flecker
Before Plato there was no formulation of logical theory, and in his dialogues it is only contained in solution.
International Congress of Arts and Science, Volume I|Various

British Dictionary definitions for contained

contain

/ (kənˈteɪn) /

verb (tr)

to hold or be capable of holding or including within a fixed limit or areathis contains five pints

to keep (one's feelings, behaviour, etc) within bounds; restrain

to consist of; comprisethe book contains three different sections

military to prevent (enemy forces) from operating beyond a certain level or area

maths

to be a multiple of, leaving no remainder6 contains 2 and 3
to have as a subset

Derived Formscontainable, adjective

Word Origin for contain

C13: from Old French contenir, from Latin continēre, from com- together + tenēre to hold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for contained

contain

late 13c., from Old French contein-, stem of contenir, from Latin continere (transitive) "to hold together, enclose," from com- "together" (see com-) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Related: Containable.

contained

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of contained

contain

verb (used with object)

Origin of contain

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for contained

contain

verb (tr)

Word Origin for contain

contain