2. Exercising restraint as to the indulgence of desires or
passions; temperate; moderate.
Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his
rage goes slower. --Shak.
3. Abstaining from sexual intercourse; exercising restraint
upon the sexual appetite; esp., abstaining from illicit
sexual intercourse; chaste.
Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true,
4. Not interrupted; connected; continuous; as, a continent
fever. [Obs.]
The northeast part of Asia is, if not continent with
the west side of America, yet certainly it is the
least disoined by sea of all that coast.
--Berrewood.
The smaller continent which we call a pipkin. --Bp.
Kennet.
2. One of the grand divisions of land on the globe; the main
land; specifically (Phys. Geog.), a large body of land
differing from an island, not merely in its size, but in
its structure, which is that of a large basin bordered by
mountain chains; as, the continent of North America.
Note: The continents are now usually regarded as six in
number: North America, South America, Europe, Asia,
Africa, and Australia. But other large bodies of land
are also reffered to as continents; as, the Antarctic
continent; the continent of Greenland. Europe, Asia,
and Africa are often grouped together as the Eastern
Continent, and North and South America as the Western
Continent.
{The Continent}, the main land of Europe, as distinguished
from the islands, especially from England.