protocontinent

[proh-toh-kon-tn-uhnt]

noun

Geology.

1. an actual or hypothetical landmass that might later be enlarged into a major continent or broken up into smaller ones.

protocontinent

1. A landmass that existed at some point in the past. Protocontinents that are thought to have comprised some or all of the present-day continents in a single landmass are also known as supercontinents.

Word History and Origins

Origin of protocontinent¹

First recorded in 1955–60; proto- + continent

Example Sentences

Geologists have long known that 250 million years ago the continents were bunched together in a massive protocontinent, dubbed Pangea.

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