Etymology

continent

C3O1N1T1I1N1E1N1T1

Today it means: One of the main contiguous landmasses, separated by water or geological features, on the surface of a planet, sometimes including its continental shelves and the islands on them. Full definition →

Latin continens ← Proto-Italic *tenēō ← Proto-Indo-European *tn̥eh₁yéti
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continent · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Latincon-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*ten-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*tn̥eh₁yéti
  8. Proto-Italic*tenēō
  9. Latinteneō
  10. Latincontineō
  11. Latincontinens
  12. English todaycontinent

Borrowed from Latin continens, noun use of present participle of continēre (“to contain”).

continent · adjective2

  1. Latin · derived fromcontinentem“continuous; holding together”
  2. Old French · derived fromcontinent
  3. Middle English · inherited fromcontynent
  4. English todaycontinent

From Middle English contynent, from Old French continent, from Latin continentem (“continuous; holding together”), present participle of continēre (“to contain”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.