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Webster 1913 Edition

Continent

Con′ti-nent

,
Adj.
[L.
continens
,
-entis
, prop., p. pr. of
continere
to hold together, to repress: cf. F.
continent
. See
Contain
.]
1.
Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
[Obs.]
Shak.
2.
Exercising restraint as to the indulgence of desires or passions; temperate; moderate.
Have a
continent
forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower.
Shak.
3.
Abstaining from sexual intercourse; exercising restraint upon the sexual appetite; esp., abstaining from illicit sexual intercourse; chaste.
My past life
Hath been as
continent
, as chaste, as true,
As I am now unhappy.
Shak.
4.
Not interrupted; connected; continuous;
as, a
continent
fever
.
[Obs.]
The northeast part of Asia is, if not
continent
with the west side of America, yet certainly it is the least disoined by sea of all that coast.
Berrewood.

Con′ti-nent

,
Noun.
[L.
continens
, prop., a holding together: cf. F.
continent
. See
Continent
,
Adj.
]
1.
That which contains anything; a receptacle.
[Obs.]
The smaller
continent
which we call a pipkin.
Bp. Kennet.
2.
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;
as, the
continent
of North America
.
☞ The continents are now usually regarded as six in number: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. But other large bodies of land are also reffered to as continents; as, the Antarctic continent; the continent of Greenland. Europe, Asia, and Africa are often grouped together as the Eastern Continent, and North and South America as the Western Continent.
The Continent
,
the main land of Europe, as distinguished from the islands, especially from England.

Webster 1828 Edition

Continent

CONTINENT

,
Adj.
[L.]
1.
Refraining from unlawful sexual commerce, or moderate in the indulgence of lawful pleasure; chaste.
2.
Restrained; moderate; temperate.
Have a continent forbearance.
3.
Opposing; restraining.
4.
Continuous; connected; not interrupted.
The North East part of Asia, if not continent with America--
A continent fever. More generally we now say a continued fever.

CONTINENT

,
Noun.
1.
In geography, a great extent of land, not disjoined or interrupted by a sea; a connected tract of land of great extent; as the Eastern and Western continent. It differs from an isle only in extent. New Holland may be denominated a continent. Britain is called a continent, as opposed to the isle of Anglesey.
In Spenser, continent is use for ground in general.
2.
That which contains any thing. [Not used.]

Definition 2024

Continent

Continent

See also: continent and continnent

English

Proper noun

the Continent

  1. (obsolete) The Old World.
    Peter Heylin, 1652, Cosmographie, "the whole Continent of Europe, Asia, Africa."
  2. Mainland Europe, as seen from the British Isles.

Noun

Continent ‎(plural Continents)

  1. An Encratite.

External links

continent

continent

See also: Continent and continnent

English

Noun

continent ‎(plural continents)

  1. (obsolete) Land (as opposed to the water).
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.v:
      The carkas with the streame was carried downe, / But th'head fell backeward on the continent.
  2. (obsolete in general sense) A large contiguous landmass considered independent of its islands, peninsulas etc. Specifically, the Old World continent of Europe–Asia–Africa. See the Continent.
  3. Each of the main continuous land-masses on the earth's surface, now generally regarded as seven in number, including their related islands, continental shelves etc.
Derived terms
See also
Translations
Hyponyms

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

continent ‎(comparative more continent, superlative most continent)

  1. Exercising self-restraint; controlled, temperate with respect to one's bodily needs or passions, especially sex, urination and/or defecation.
    • Shakespeare
      Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower.
    • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 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.
  2. Not interrupted; connected; continuous.
    a continent fever
    • Berrewood
      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.
  3. (obsolete) Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
    Which is not tomb enough and continent/To hide the slain? (Shakespeare: Hamlet, 4.4.)
Antonyms
Translations

Catalan

Noun

continent m ‎(plural continents)

  1. continent

See also

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

continent n ‎(plural continenten)

  1. continent

Synonyms

French

Pronunciation

Noun

continent m ‎(plural continents)

  1. continent

Derived terms

Latin

Verb

continent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of contineō

Middle French

Adjective

continent m ‎(feminine singular continente, masculine plural continens, feminine plural continentes)

  1. continent (exercising restraint)

Antonyms

Romanian

Etymology

From Latin continens, French continent.

Noun

continent n ‎(plural continente)

  1. continent

Declension

Related terms

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkɒntɪnənt/

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