continent

[ kon-tn-uhnt ]
See synonyms for: continentcontinents on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

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

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

  4. 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.

  1. Obsolete. containing; being a container; capacious.

  2. Obsolete. restraining or restrictive.

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

Origin of continent

1
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”; see contain

Other words from continent

  • un·con·ti·nent, adjective
  • un·con·ti·nent·ly, adverb

Words Nearby continent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use continent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for continent (1 of 3)

continent1

/ (ˈkɒntɪnənt) /


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

  1. obsolete

    • mainland as opposed to islands

    • a continuous extent of land

Origin of continent

1
C16: from the Latin phrase terra continens continuous land, from continēre; see contain

Derived forms of continent

  • continental (ˌkɒntɪˈnɛntəl), adjective
  • continentally, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for continent (2 of 3)

continent2

/ (ˈkɒntɪnənt) /


adjective
  1. able to control urination and defecation

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

Origin of continent

2
C14: from Latin continent-, present participle of continēre; see contain

Derived forms of continent

  • continence or continency, noun
  • continently, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for Continent (3 of 3)

Continent

/ (ˈkɒntɪnənt) /


noun
  1. 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

Scientific definitions for continent

continent

[ kŏntə-nənt ]


  1. 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.