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continent

[kon-tn-uh nt]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR continent ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a comparable landmass on another planet.

the mainland, as distinguished from islands or peninsulas.

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

a continuous tract or extent, as of land.

Archaic. something that serves as a container or boundary.

adjective

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

able to control urinary and fecal discharge.

Obsolete. containing; being a container; capacious.

Obsolete. restraining or restrictive.

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

Origin of continent

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin continent- (stem of continēns, present participle of continēre to contain), equivalent to con- con- + -tin-, combining form of ten- hold + -ent- -ent

Related formsun·con·ti·nent, adjectiveun·con·ti·nent·ly, adverb

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

Related Words for continent

celibate, ascetic, abstinent, abstemious, austere, inhibited, modest, restrained, sober, temperate, abstentious, bridled, curbed

Examples from the Web for continent

Contemporary Examples of continent

Opponents of Muslims and immigrants across the continent are claiming vindication in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attack.
Europe’s Islam Haters Say We Told You So
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 8, 2015
World War II is still a long way off, but the seeds of conflict are already being sown on the continent.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means
Katie Baker
January 2, 2015
It can be hard to wrap your head around the problems facing the continent because they might seem ancient to us.
Silicon Valley Sets Its Sights on Africa
Christian Borys
December 22, 2014
But this is often seen as little more than a way of trying to defame Edward III on the continent.
The Sex Life of King Richard III's Randy Great Great Great Grandfather
Tom Sykes
December 4, 2014
The last time a Pope addressed the parliament in Strasbourg was in 1988 when an Iron Curtain still divided the continent.
Pope’s Blistering Attack on ‘Haggard’ Europe
Nico Hines
November 26, 2014

Historical Examples of continent

Vienna has had her share in the general improvement of the Continent.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
War is a rough teacher, but it is evidently the only one for the Continent.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
The people were better fed and better clothed than any of their neighbours on the Continent.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield
Let us proceed with the continent where we find ourselves at present, resumed Hatteras.
The Field of Ice
Jules Verne
"You were on the continent this morning, Father Jos," said Cornelius.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for continent

continent

¹

noun

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

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

obsolete

mainland as opposed to islands
a continuous extent of land

Derived Formscontinental (ˌkɒntɪˈnɛntəl), adjectivecontinentally, adverb

Word Origin for continent

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

continent

²

adjective

able to control urination and defecation

exercising self-restraint, esp from sexual activity; chaste

Derived Formscontinence or continency, nouncontinently, adverb

Word Origin for continent

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

Continent

noun

the Continent the mainland of Europe as distinguished from the British Isles

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 continent

adj.

late 14c., "self-restraining," from Old French continent and directly from Latin continentem (nominative continens) "holding together, continuous," present participle of continere "hold together" (see contain). Meaning moved from "exercising self-restraint" to "chaste" 14c., and to bowel and bladder control 19c.

n.

"large land mass," 1550s, from continent land (mid-15c.), translating Latin terra continens "continuous land," from continens, present participle of continere (see continent (adj.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

continent in Science

continent

[kŏn′tə-nənt]

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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.