Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Restrained; moderate; temperate.
  • Moderate or abstinent in the indulgence of the sexual passion; maintaining continence; chaste.
  • Restraining; opposing.
  • Containing; being the container: with of.
  • Continuous; connected; not interrupted.
  • noun That which contains or comprises; a container or holder.
  • noun That which is contained or comprised; contents; the amount held or that can be held, as by a vessel.
  • noun In physical geography, one of the largest landmasses of the globe.
  • noun [capitalized] In a special sense, in English literature, the mainland of Europe, as distinguished from the British islands: as, to travel on the Continent.
  • noun Land in a general sense, as distinguished from water; terra firma.
  • noun [capitalized] Same as Encratite.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
  • adjective Exercising restraint as to the indulgence of desires or passions; temperate; moderate.
  • adjective Abstaining from sexual intercourse; exercising restraint upon the sexual appetite; esp., abstaining from illicit sexual intercourse; chaste.
  • adjective obsolete Not interrupted; connected; continuous.
  • noun obsolete That which contains anything; a receptacle.
  • noun One of the grand divisions of land on the globe; the main land; specifically (Phys. Geog.), a large body of land differing from an island, not merely in its size, but in its structure, which is that of a large basin bordered by mountain chains.
  • noun the main land of Europe, as distinguished from the islands, especially from England.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete Land (as opposed to the water).
  • noun A large contiguous landmass considered independent of its islands, peninsulas etc. Specifically, the Old World continent of Europe–Asia–Africa. See the Continent.
  • noun Each of the main continuous land-masses on the earth's surface, now generally regarded as seven in number, including their related islands, continental shelfs etc.
  • adjective Exercising self-restraint; controlled, temperate with respect to one's bodily needs or passions.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having control over urination and defecation
  • noun the European mainland
  • adjective abstaining from sexual intercourse
  • noun one of the large landmasses of the earth

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin continēntem, noun use of present participle of continēre ("to contain").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French continent, from Latin continentem ("continuous; holding together"), present participle of continēre ("to contain").

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Examples

  • Mark, the antarctic continent is permanently below freezing, meaning the ice balance *in the continent* is primarily responsive to precipitation and ice flow rates rather than directly to temps.

    Grapevine: Mann to testify on 27th July « Climate Audit 2006

  • Mark, the antarctic continent is permanently below freezing, meaning the ice balance *in the continent* is primarily responsive to precipitation and ice flow rates rather than directly to temps.

    Grapevine: Mann to testify on 27th July « Climate Audit 2006

  • Their claim to possession of the entire North American continent is based on an impressive array of statistics, historical records, and recent incidents of real or alleged abuses by the so-called White Supremacists, who allegedly stole the continent from the original inhabitants and have continued to oppress them ever since the so-called "discovery" of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

    Aztec, Mexica, or Alien? 2008

  • Their claim to possession of the entire North American continent is based on an impressive array of statistics, historical records, and recent incidents of real or alleged abuses by the so-called White Supremacists, who allegedly stole the continent from the original inhabitants and have continued to oppress them ever since the so-called "discovery" of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

    Aztec, Mexica, or Alien? 2008

  • With policy at a roadblock in many European capitals, and much initiative focused upon national rather than international issues, the continent is at an effective standstill except for momentum generated by Brussels, especially through the EU's 2020 initiative.

    EU Must Act Fast and Share Knowledge With China Dirk Jan van den Berg 2010

  • “The America our forefathers brought forth on this continent is a market — a free market in power, goods and services, entertainment, and spirituality,” McDougall points out.

    They Made America 2006

  • “The America our forefathers brought forth on this continent is a market — a free market in power, goods and services, entertainment, and spirituality,” McDougall points out.

    They Made America 2006

  • “The America our forefathers brought forth on this continent is a market — a free market in power, goods and services, entertainment, and spirituality,” McDougall points out.

    They Made America 2006

  • If instead he was actually speaking of all Americans (excluding, presumably, Native Americans, for whom this continent is their "original homeland"), then Jews are, in a basic sense, the most (not least) attenuated from their "original homeland."

    IsThatLegal? 2003

  • Salim urged Africans to move with speed on the path of economic development, which he termed the continent's second liberation.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1994

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  • See citation on Zealandia.

    February 22, 2022