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continent
continent definition
con·ti·nent (känt′'n ənt)
adjective
- self-restrained; temperate
- characterized by self-restraint in, esp. by total abstinence from, sexual activity
- Obsolete restrictive
Etymology: OFr < L continens, prp. of continere: see contain
noun
- Rare a thing that retains or contains something
- the mainland: now rare except in the Continent, all of Europe except the British Isles
- any of the main large land areas of the earth, conventionally regarded (with or without outlying islands) as units; Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America, and, sometimes, Antarctica
Related Forms:
- continently con′·ti·nently adverb
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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