continent

Where does the word "continent" come from? It comes from Latin continens, and was adopted directly into English (1550s).

Continent’s story begins in Latin: continens meant “holding together.” Literally holding together, from continere (to contain), describing land held together as one mass. It reached English by 1550s as continent. Settled as the English word for one of earth's major landmasses. Today, continent means one of the earth's major continuous landmasses.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient continens "holding together", literally holding together, from continere (to contain), describing land held together as one mass.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1550s continent "one of the earth's main continuous landmasses", settled as the English word for one of earth's major landmasses.