" continent "

[Noun]  | "con*ti*nent" | \ ˈkän-tə-nənt \

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

2: the continent of Europe —used with the

3: mainland

Origin: 1541 ;

 (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{mat|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.";

[Noun]  | "dark continent" 

1: the continent of Africa

2: something unknown or unexplored

Origin: 1829 ;

[Noun]  | "the Continent" 

1: the countries of Europe except for Great Britain and Ireland

[Adjective]  | "con*ti*nent" | \ ˈkän-tə-nənt \

1: exercising continence

2: restrictive

Origin: 14th century ;

 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" {mat|contain|};

[Noun]  | "continent" 

[Adjective]  | "continent"