# continent
## English
### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˈkɒntɪnənt/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈkɑntɪnənt/, /ˈkɑnt(ə)nənt/
* Audio (US):(file)

### Etymology 1

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

#### Noun

continent (plural continents)
* 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.
** 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XXXV, page 54:But I should turn mine ears and hear The moanings of the homeless sea, ⁠The sound of streams that swift or slow ⁠Draw down Æonian hills, and sow The dust of continents to be; […]
* 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.
* (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.
** 1624, John Donne, “17. Meditation”, in Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: […] A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, →OCLC, pages 415–416:No man is an Iland, intire of it ſelfe; euery man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; […]
* (figurative) A large connected expanse of something in general.
* (obsolete) Any continuous tract or area of land; country, connected region.
* (obsolete) Land (as opposed to the water), dry land.
** 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:The carkas with the streame was carried downe, / But th’head fell backeward on the continent.
* (obsolete) The body or mass of a celestial body such as the sun or moon.
* (obsolete) Container, vessel, something that holds or contains something else.
* (obsolete) Space, capacity.
* (obsolete) The principal or essential points of something viewed collectively: sum, summary, substance.
** c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:[…] Here's the scroll, The continent and summary of my fortune.

##### Hyponyms

* Africa
* America
* Antarctica
* Asia
* Australia
* Eurasia
* Europe
* Gondwana
* Gondwanaland
* Laurasia
* Laurentia
* North America
* Oceania
* Pangaea
* Pannotia
* Rodinia
* South America
* Zealandia

##### Derived terms

* archicontinent
* continental
* continentlike
* continent of stability
* continentwide
* coontinent
* cuntinent
* microcontinent
* midcontinent
* palaeocontinent
* paleocontinent
* protocontinent
* pseudocontinent
* supercontinent
* the Continent
* ur-continent

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

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

#### Adjective

continent (comparative more continent, superlative most continent)
* 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.
* Having voluntary control over one’s urination or defecation.
* (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.
* (obsolete) Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
** c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby, published 1598, →OCLC; republished as Shakspere’s Loves Labours Lost (Shakspere-Quarto Facsimiles; no. 5), London: W[illiam] Griggs, […], [1880], →OCLC,:There did I ſee that low ſpirited Swaine, [...] hight Coſtard, (Clow[ne]. O mee) ſorted and conſorted contrary to thy eſtabliſhed proclaymed Edict and continent Cannon; Which with, o with, but with this I paſſion to ſay wherewith: / Clo[wne]. With a Wench.
** c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower.
* (obsolete) Containing or capable of containing.

##### Antonyms

* incontinent

##### Derived terms

* continently
* continentness
* uncontinent

##### Translations
## Aragonese
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin continentem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kontiˈnen/
* Rhymes: -en
* Syllabification: con‧ti‧nent

### Noun

continent m
* continent

#### Related terms

* continental

#### See also

* Africa
* America
** America d'el Norte, Norte-america
** America del Sud, Sud-america
* Antartida
* Europa
* Oceania
* Ásia

### Further reading

* Diccionario ortografico de l'aragonés (Seguntes la PO de l'EFA)

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin continentem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central) [kun.tiˈnen]
* IPA: (Balearic, Valencia) [kon.tiˈnent]
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

continent m (plural continents)
* continent

#### Related terms

* continental

#### See also

* Àfrica
* Amèrica
** Amèrica del Nord, Nord-amèrica
** Amèrica del Sud, Sud-amèrica
* Antàrtida
* Àsia
* Europa
* Oceania

### Further reading

* “continent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “continent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “continent” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “continent” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˌkɔn.tiˈnɛnt/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: con‧ti‧nent
* Rhymes: -ɛnt

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from French continent, from Latin continēns.

#### Noun

continent n (plural continenten)
* continent (landmass)
    Synonym: werelddeel

##### Derived terms

* continentaal
* subcontinent

##### Descendants

* → Indonesian: kontinen

### Etymology 2

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

#### Adjective

continent (not comparable)
* (chiefly medicine) continent
* (obsolete) continent, morally restrained

##### Related terms

* incontinent

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin continentem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kɔ̃.ti.nɑ̃/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

continent m (plural continents)
* continent

#### Derived terms

* continental
* sous-continent

#### Related terms

* contenir

#### Descendants

* Antillean Creole: kontinan
* Haitian Creole: kontinan
* → Romanian: continent

### Further reading

* “continent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Latin
### Verb

continent
* third-person plural present active indicative of contineō

## Middle French
### Adjective

continent m (feminine singular continente, masculine plural continens, feminine plural continentes)
* continent (exercising restraint)
    Antonym: incontinent

## Occitan
### Etymology

From Latin continēns.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

continent m (plural continents)
* continent

#### Related terms

* continental

### Further reading

* Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2024, page 192.

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin continens and/or from French continent.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kon.tiˈnent/

### Noun

continent n (plural continente)
* continent

#### Related terms

* continental
* conține

### Further reading

* continent in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)