continent

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: Con=ti=nent

CIDE DICTIONARY

continent, a. [L. continens, -entis, prop., p. pr. of continere to hold together, to repress: cf. F. continent. See Contain.].

•  Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  Exercising restraint as to the indulgence of desires or passions; temperate; moderate.  [1913 Webster]

  "Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower."  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  Abstaining from sexual intercourse; exercising restraint upon the sexual appetite; esp., abstaining from illicit sexual intercourse; chaste.  [1913 Webster]

  "My past life"  [1913 Webster]

  "Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true,"  [1913 Webster]

  "As I am now unhappy."  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  Not interrupted; connected; continuous; as, a continent fever.  [1913 Webster]

  "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."  [1913 Webster]

continent, n. [L. continens, prop., a holding together: cf. F. continent. See Continent, a.].

•  That which contains anything; a receptacle.  [1913 Webster]

  "The smaller continent which we call a pipkin."  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  " 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."  [1913 Webster]

The Continent, the main land of Europe, as distinguished from the islands, especially from England.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

continent, n.
1 any of the main continuous expanses of land (Europe, Asia, Africa, N. and S. America, Australia, Antarctica).
2 (the Continent) Brit. the mainland of Europe as distinct from the British Isles.
3 continuous land; a mainland.

continent, adj.
1 able to control movements of the bowels and bladder.
2 exercising self-restraint, esp. sexually.

Derivative

continence n. continently adv.

Etymology

ME f. L (as CONTAIN)

THESAURUS

continent

Africa, America, Antipodes, Apostolic, Asia, Asia Major, Asia Minor, Australasia, East, Eastern Hemisphere, Encratic, Eurasia, Europe, Far East, Lenten, Levant, Middle East, Near East, New World, Occident, Oceania, Old World, Orient, Platonic, Pythagorean, Rechabite, Shaker, Spartan, Stoic, West, Western Hemisphere, abstemious, abstentious, abstinent, ascetic, bridled, celibate, chaste, curbed, down under, eastland, fruitarian, inhibited, intact, landmass, maidenly, nephalistic, on the wagon, pure, restrained, sexually abstinent, sober, sworn off, teetotal, temperate, the old country, vegetarian, vestal, virgin, virginal

ROGET THESAURUS

continent

Purity

N purity, decency, decorum, delicacy, continence, chastity, honesty, virtue, modesty, shame, pudicity, pucelage, virginity, vestal, virgin, Joseph, Hippolytus, Lucretia, Diana, prude, pure, undefiled, modest, delicate, decent, decorous, virginibus puerisque, simon-pure, chaste, continent, virtuous, honest, Platonic, virgin, unsullied, cherry, as chaste as unsunn'd snow, a soul as white as heaven, 'tis Chastity, my brother, Chastity, to the pure all things are pure.

Land

N land, earth, ground, dry land, terra firma, continent, mainland, peninsula, chersonese, delta, tongue of land, neck of land, isthmus, oasis, promontory, highland, coast, shore, scar, strand, beach, playa, bank, lea, seaboard, seaside, seabank, seacoast, seabeach, ironbound coast, loom of the land, derelict, innings, alluvium, alluvion, ancon, riverbank, river bank, levee, soil, glebe, clay, loam, marl, cledge, chalk, gravel, mold, subsoil, clod, clot, rock, crag, acres, real estate, landsman, earthy, continental, midland, coastal, littoral, riparian, alluvial, terrene, landed, predial, territorial, geophilous, ripicolous, ashore, on shore, on land.