CONTINENT

celibate, continent

(adjective) abstaining from sexual intercourse; “celibate priests”

continent

(adjective) having control over urination and defecation

Continent

(noun) the European mainland; “Englishmen like to visit the Continent but they wouldn’t like to live there”

continent

(noun) one of the large landmasses of the earth; “there are seven continents”; “pioneers had to cross the continent on foot”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

continent (plural continents)

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.

(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.

(obsolete) Land (as opposed to the water).

Hyponyms

• Africa

• America

• Antarctica

• Asia

• Australia

• Europe

• Eurasia

• Gondwana

• Laurasia

• North America

• Oceania

• Pangaea

• South America

Etymology 2

Adjective

continent (comparative more continent, superlative most continent)

Exercising self-restraint; controlled, temperate with respect to one's bodily needs or passions, especially sex, urination and/or defecation.

Not interrupted; connected; continuous.

(obsolete) Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.

Antonyms

• incontinent

Proper noun

the Continent

(obsolete) The Old World.

synonym of Europe (including Britain)

(UK) Mainland Europe, as seen from the British Isles.

Noun

Continent (plural Continents)

An Encratite.

Source: Wiktionary


Con"ti*nent, a. Etym: [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, n. Etym: [L. continens, prop., a holding together: cf. F. continent. See Continent, a.]

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.

Note: 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

6 October 2024

DATELESS

(adjective) of such great duration as to preclude the possibility of being assigned a date; “dateless customs”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee shop is the Al Masaa Café, which has 1,050 seats. The coffee shop was inaugurated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 13 August 2014.

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