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continent - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Borrowed from Latin continens, noun use of present participle of continēre (“to contain”).

continent (plural continents)

  1. One of the main continuous landmasses, separated by water or geological features, on the surface of a planet, sometimes including its continental shelves and the islands on them.
  2. Each of the traditional main regions into which the Earth’s land surface is divided, including both an extent of mainland and various conventionally associated islands, etc; namely, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, North America, South America, and Antarctica.
  3. (obsolete in general sense) A large contiguous landmass as opposed to its islands, peninsulas, and so forth; mainland. Also specifically, the Old World continent of Europe–Asia–Africa: see the Continent.
  4. (figurative) A large connected expanse of something in general.
  5. (obsolete) Any continuous tract or area of land; country, connected region.
  6. (obsolete) Land (as opposed to the water), dry land.
  7. (obsolete) The body or mass of a celestial body such as the sun or moon.
  8. (obsolete) Container, vessel, something that holds or contains something else.
  9. (obsolete) Space, capacity.
  10. (obsolete) The principal or essential points of something viewed collectively: sum, summary, substance.

each of main land-masses on earth's surface

From Middle English contynent, from Old French continent, from Latin continentem (“continuous; holding together”), present participle of continēre (“to contain”).

continent (comparative more continent, superlative most continent)

  1. Exercising self-restraint; controlled, temperate with respect to one’s bodily needs or passions, especially sex.

    • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

      Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower.

    • 1926, T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, New York: Anchor, published 1991, page 219:

      Their strength was the strength of men geographically beyond temptation: the poverty of Arabia made them simple, continent, enduring.

    • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 119:

      A celibate himself, he was of the opinion that marriage was something of a concession to human frailty, to save from fornication those who could not be continent, so it was better to marry than to burn with lust.

  2. Having voluntary control over one’s urination or defecation.
  3. (obsolete) Not interrupted; connected; continuous, whether in time or space.

    a continent fever

    • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene i:

      Affrike and Europe bordering on your land,
      And continent to your Dominions: […]

    • 1843, John McIntosh, The Origin of the North American Indians:

      The northeast part of Asia is, if not continent with the west side of America, yet certainly it is the least disjoined by sea of all that coast.

  4. (obsolete) Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
  5. (obsolete) Containing or capable of containing.

Borrowed from Latin continentem.

  • IPA(key): /kontiˈnen/
  • Rhymes: -en
  • Syllabification: con‧ti‧nent

continent m

  1. continent

Borrowed from Latin continentem.

continent m (plural continents)

  1. continent
  • IPA(key): /ˌkɔn.tiˈnɛnt/
  • Hyphenation: con‧ti‧nent
  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Borrowed from French continent, from Latin continēns.

continent n (plural continenten)

  1. continent (landmass)
    Synonym: werelddeel

Ultimately from Latin continēns. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

continent (not comparable)

  1. (chiefly medicine) continent
  2. (obsolete) continent, morally restrained
Declension of continent
uninflected continent
inflected continente
comparative —
positive
predicative/adverbial continent
indefinite m./f. sing. continente
n. sing. continent
plural continente
definite continente
partitive continents

Borrowed from Latin continentem.

continent m (plural continents)

  1. continent

continent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of contineō

continent m (feminine singular continente, masculine plural continens, feminine plural continentes)

  1. continent (exercising restraint)
    Antonym: incontinent

From Latin continēns.

continent m (plural continents)

  1. continent

Borrowed from Latin continens and/or from French continent.

continent n (plural continente)

  1. continent