n.
Pronunciation: ' kän-t ə -n ə nt, ' känt-n ə nt
Function: noun
Etymology: in senses 1 & 2, from Latin continent-, continens, present participle of contin ē re, to hold together, contain; in senses 3 & 4, from Latin continent-, continens continuous mass of land, mainland, from continent-, continens, present participle
Date: 1541
1 archaic : CONTAINER , CONFINES
2 archaic : EPITOME
3 : MAINLAND
4 a : one of the six or seven great divisions of land on the globe b capitalized : the continent of Europe ― used with the