continent
Part of speech: noun
adj
Morphological type: simple
Topics: geography
geology
natural-sciences
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin continens, noun use of present participle of continēre (“to contain”).
Inflected forms:
form: continents
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: more continent
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most continent
pos: adj
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: One of the main contiguous landmasses, separated by water or geological features, on the surface of a planet, sometimes including its continental shelves and the islands on them.
pos: noun
examples: 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; […]
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
obsolete
examples: No man is an Iland, intire of it ſelfe; euery man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; […]
gloss: A large connected expanse of something in general.
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
gloss: Any continuous tract or area of land; country, connected region.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: Land (as opposed to the water), dry land.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: The carkas with the streame was carried downe, / But th’head fell backeward on the continent.
gloss: The body or mass of a celestial body such as the sun or moon.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: Container, vessel, something that holds or contains something else.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: Space, capacity.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: The principal or essential points of something viewed collectively: sum, summary, substance.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: […] Here's the scroll,
The continent and summary of my fortune.
gloss: Exercising self-restraint; controlled, temperate with respect to one’s bodily needs or passions, especially sex.
pos: adj
examples: Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower.
Their strength was the strength of men geographically beyond temptation: the poverty of Arabia made them simple, continent, enduring.
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.
gloss: Having voluntary control over one’s urination or defecation.
pos: adj
gloss: Not interrupted; connected; continuous, whether in time or space.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: a continent fever
Affrike and Europe bordering on your land,
And continent to your Dominions: […]
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.
gloss: Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: 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.
Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower.
gloss: Containing or capable of containing.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
Antonyms: incontinent
Derived words: archicontinent
continental
continentlike
continent of stability
continentwide
coontinent
cuntinent
microcontinent
midcontinent
palaeocontinent
paleocontinent
protocontinent
pseudocontinent
subcontinent
supercontinent
the Continent
ur-continent
continently
continentness
uncontinent
Translations: