continent

Meaning

Noun

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. (broadly, obsolete) 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. (figuratively) 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.

Adj

1. Exercising self-restraint; controlled, temperate with respect to one’s bodily needs or passions, especially sex.
2. Having voluntary control over one’s urination or defecation.
3. (obsolete) Not interrupted; connected; continuous, whether in time or space.
4. (obsolete) Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
5. (obsolete) Containing or capable of containing.

Synonyms

mainland

chaste

virtuous

country

celibate

pure

abstinent

clime

landmass

region

reserved

restrained

self-restrained

earth

mud

offish

abstainer

undemonstrative

relief

relievo

unmarried

virginal

reticent

rilievo

delta

shore

soil

state

embossment

ground

headland

island

🏝️

temperate

Translations

continent

Kontinent

continente

continente

continente

ήπειρος

continent

werelddeel

Erdteil

continent

Festland

kıta

قارة

vasteland

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɒntɪnənt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: contynent

In summary

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