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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary con·ti·nent
ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin continent-, continens, from present participle of continēre to hold in — more at contain DATE 14th century 1. exercising continence 2. obsolete : restrictive • con·ti·nent·ly adverb
ETYMOLOGY in senses 1 & 2, from Latin continent-, continens,present participle of continēre, to hold together, contain; in senses 3 & 4, from Latin continent-, continens continuous mass of land, mainland, from continent-, continens, present participle DATE 1541 1. archaic : container , confines2. archaic : epitome 3. mainland 4. a. one of the six or seven great divisions of land on the globe b. capitalized : the continent of Europe — used with the English Etymology 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 1550s, from continent land (mid-15c.), translating L. terra continens "continuous land" (see continue). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ continent con·tin·ent / 5kCntinEnt; NAmE 5kB:n- / noun1. [C] one of the large land masses of the earth such as Europe, Asia or Africa 大陆；陆地；洲: the continent of Africa 非洲大陆 the African continent 非洲大陆 2. the Continent [sing.] (BrE) the main part of the continent of Europe, not including Britain or Ireland 欧洲大陆(不包括英国和爱尔兰): We're going to spend a weekend on the Continent. 我们要去欧洲大陆度周末。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English continent noun ADJ. Antarctic, Australian, African, etc. VERB + CONTINENT cross the first railway to cross the North American continent CONTINENT + VERB drift The evidence that the continents have drifted is overwhelming. PREP. across a/the ~ He travelled across continents in his quest for adventure. | on the ~ Wolves are still found on the continent of Europe. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition n. Function: adjective Synonyms: ABSTEMIOUS , abstentious, abstinent, self-restraining, sober, temperate Related Words: bridled, curbed, inhibited, restrained; chaste, pure Contrasted Words: self-indulgent, spoiled Antonyms: incontinent Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged con·ti·nent I. \ˈkänt(ə)nənt, -tənənt\ adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin continent-, continens, from present participle of continēre to hold together, repress, contain — more at contain 1. : exercising continence, specifically sexual continence : temperate , moderate , chaste 2. obsolete a. : serving to restrain or limit : restrictive b. : connected , continuous < continent islands > 3. : containing or able to contain or retain Synonyms: see sober II. \“ sometimes -tənˌent or -təˌne-\ noun (-s) Etymology: in senses 1, 2, & 3, from Latin continent-, continens, present participle of continēre to contain, hold together, be continuous; in other senses, from Latin continent-, continens continuous mass of land, from continent-, continens, present participle 1. archaic a. : whatever contains something : receptacle b. : whatever restrains or bounds something 2. archaic : whatever is the seat or the external representative of something or represents the totality of a complex being 3. obsolete : capacity , content 4. a. : a continuous extent or mass of land : mainland b. obsolete : the land, the earth, or the world 5. a. : one of the great divisions of land on the globe; specifically : a large body of land differing from an island or a peninsula in its size and in its structure, which is that of a large basin bordered by mountain chains (as No. America, So. America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica) b. usually capitalized : the continent of Europe — used with the < traveling on the Continent > 6. : a large segment of the earth's outer shell including a terrestrial continent and the adjacent continental shelf |
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