Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

continent

 [kon-tn-uhnt]   Origin

con·ti·nent

   [kon-tn-uhnt]
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.
3.
the mainland, as distinguished from islands or peninsulas.
4.
the Continent, the mainland of Europe, as distinguished from the British Isles.
5.
a continuous tract or extent, as of land.
EXPAND
6.
Archaic. something that serves as a container or boundary.
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Free Toolbar Dictionary.com Define Continent Instantly. Faster Page Loads With Fewer Ads.
Ad
adjective
7.
exercising or characterized by restraint in relation to the desires or passions and especially to sexual desires; temperate.
8.
able to control urinary and fecal discharge.
9.
Obsolete. containing; being a container; capacious.
10.
Obsolete. restraining or restrictive.
11.
Obsolete. continuous; forming an uninterrupted tract, as land.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Continent is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin continent- (stem of continēns, present participle of continēre to contain), equivalent to con- con- + -tin-, combining form of ten- hold + -ent- -ent

Related forms
un·con·ti·nent, adjective
un·con·ti·nent·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To continent
Collins
World English Dictionary
continent1 (ˈkɒntɪnənt)
 
—n
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
3.  obsolete
 a.  mainland as opposed to islands
 b.  a continuous extent of land
 
[C16: from the Latin phrase terra continens continuous land, from continēre; see contain]
 
continental1
 
—adj
 
conti'nentally1
 
—adv

continent2 (ˈkɒntɪnənt)
 
—adj
1.  able to control urination and defecation
2.  exercising self-restraint, esp from sexual activity; chaste
 
[C14: from Latin continent-, present participle of continēre; see contain]
 
'continence2
 
—n
 
'continency2
 
—n
 
'continently2
 
—adv

Continent (ˈkɒntɪnənt)
 
—n
the Continent the mainland of Europe as distinguished from the British Isles

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

continent
late 14c., adj., "self-restraining," from L. continentem (nom. continens), prp. of continere "hold together" (see contain). Meaning moved from "exercising self-restraint" to "chaste" 14c., and to bowel and bladder control 19c. The houn in the geographical sense is from
EXPAND
1550s, from continent land (mid-15c.), translating L. terra continens "continuous land" (see continue).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
continent   (kŏn'tə-nənt)  Pronunciation Key 
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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT