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Dark Continent, The

American  

noun

  1. Africa: so called, especially during the 19th century, because little was known about it.

Etymology

Origin of Dark Continent, The

First recorded in 1875–80

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.