continent

1 of 2

noun

con·​ti·​nent ˈkän-tə-nənt 

ˈkänt-nənt

1

a

: one of the six or seven great divisions of land on the globe

b

capitalized : the continent of Europe

—used with the

2

: mainland

3

archaic : container, confines

4

archaic : epitome

continent

2 of 2

adjective

con·​ti·​nent ˈkän-tə-nənt 

1

: exercising continence

Most children are continent by the age of three.

2

obsolete : restrictive

continently adverb

Synonyms

Noun

• landmass
• main
• mainland

Adjective

• abstemious
• abstentious
• abstinent
• self-abnegating
• self-denying
• sober
• temperate

Examples of continent in a Sentence

Noun

The book provides information on hotels in Britain and on the Continent.

Europe and Asia are sometimes considered together to be one continent.

Adjective

Most children are continent by age three.

a religious sect that expects its unmarried members to be completely celibate and its married adherents to maintain continent relationships

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The trips are more ambitious — one vessel left downtown Miami in December for 274 days while another will depart Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale this December and visit five continents. —Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024

The United States has counterterrorism programs in some 80 countries on six continents. —Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Some became independent, but churches on four continents remain part of the United Methodist Church. —CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024

What animal is cute, fuzzy and found on almost every continent (except Australia and Antartica)? —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024

The company offers servers in Africa and South America—two continents often completely ignored by VPN companies. —PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024

Let his music take you on a journey that crosses continents and cultures, drawing inspiration from the sights and sounds of his childhood in the Ivory Coast, and his travels through Italy, France, the United States and back to Burkina Faso. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024

Her debut novel follows four generations of one family over continents and the course of nearly a century. —Elizabeth Blair, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024

Running the entire length of a continent, though, might take some beating. —Ben Church, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

Adjective

The cross-continent trek for Rye Riptides, which students and now-retired Rye Junior High School science teacher Sheila Adams stuffed with photos of the Rye students, a facemask with their signatures on it, fall leaves, acorns and state quarters, was conducted with the help of Educational Passages. —Ian Lenahan, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2022

The totem pole was carved by members of the Lummi Nation and is being transported from their home in Washington state to Washington, D.C., as part of a 15-day, cross-continent journey to advocate for the protection of sacred places and the expansion of tribal sovereignty rights. —Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 July 2021

Want to hit the sights on a cross-continent trip in a Cayenne? —Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 25 Feb. 2023

Sachs is writing from Malta, where she’s been reporting on restrictions in Europe during a cross-continent trip. —Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2021

The singer spent the past year flying around the world for her multi-continent Future Nostalgia tour and continued her jet-setting this past week with a trip to Groningen, Netherlands. —Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 23 Jan. 2023

The resilient East African nation has rebounded over the past three decades; so, too, has its lion population, via a cross-continent initiative led by AndBeyond, African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board. —Stephanie Vermillion, Robb Report, 3 Jan. 2023

Exploring the physics of reindeer flight and cross-continent travel, for example, involves basic concepts that are much more fun to learn with a jolly gift giver at the center of them. —Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2013

The scientists did the same sort of analysis for the remnants of other arc-continent collisions around the world and traced their origins back through time. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(senses 1-2) borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "land forming part of a continuous mass (as opposed to an island)," borrowed from Latin continent-, continens (short for terra continens), from continent-, continens, adjective, "uninterrupted, continuous, forming part of a continuous mass," from present participle of continēre "to hold together, restrain, have as contents"; (senses 3 & 4) probably borrowed from Medieval Latin continentia "container, content, tenor (of a document)," noun derivative of Latin continent-, continens, present participle of continēre — more at contain

Note: The regular outcome of Medieval Latin continentia following the rules for adopting such nouns in English would have been continence, but as this word was already in use as an abstract noun, writers may have resorted to continent. Note continent in Middle English used by the translator of Chauliac's Grande Chirurgie in the sense "content."

Adjective

Middle English contynent "abstemious, refraining from sexual intercourse," borrowed from Middle French continent, borrowed from Medieval Latin continent-, continens, going back to Latin, "restrained, not indulging in excesses," from present participle of continēre "to hold together, restrain, have as contents" — more at contain

First Known Use

Noun

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing continent

• dark continent

Kids Definition

continent

noun

con·​ti·​nent

ˈkänt-ᵊn-ənt,

ˈkänt-nənt

1

: one of the great divisions of land (as North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, or Antarctica) on the globe

2

capitalized : the continent of Europe

Medical Definition

continent

adjective

con·​ti·​nent ˈkänt-ᵊn-ənt 

: exercising continence

continently adverb