continental

See also: Continental

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛntəl

Etymology

continent +‎ -al

Alternative forms

• (continental Europe): Continental

Adjective

continental (comparative more continental, superlative most continental)

1. Of or relating to a continent or continents.

   continental drift

   • (Can we date this quote by Henry Hallam and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     No former king had involved himself so frequently in the labyrinth of continental alliances.

2. of the mainland, as opposed to an island offshore

   continental Europe

   • 1846 The Parliamentary gazetteer of Ireland (A. Fullarton, Dublin) Vol.1 p.x "Introduction; Extent" :

     The outline of continental Ireland is proximately that of a rhomboid ; and, in a general view, is greatly more continuous or less indented and undulated by cuts and sweeps of the sea than the outline of continental Great Britain.

3. (chiefly in the UK) Relating to, or characteristic of, continental Europe

   continental breakfast

   • Template:RQ:Frgsn Zlnstn

     at Monte Carlo or some of the other Continental gambling-hells

4. (US, historical) Of or relating to the confederated colonies collectively, in the time of the Revolutionary War.

   continental money

Synonyms

• (in the main part of a country or region, as opposed to on one of its islands): mainland
• (characteristic of the style of continental Europe) European

Antonyms

• (characteristic of the style of continental Europe): British, English

Derived terms

Derived terms

• continental breakfast
• continental drift
• continental plate
• continental quilt
• continental shelf
• continental slope
• intercontinental

Translations

of or relating to a continent or continents

• Bulgarian: континентален (kontinentalen)
• Czech: kontinentální (cs), pevninský (cs)
• Finnish: manner-, mannermainen (fi)
• French: continental (fr)
• Galician: continental
• Georgian: კონტინენტური (ḳonṭinenṭuri)
• German: kontinental
• Greek: ηπειρωτικός (el) (ipeirotikós)
• Hebrew: יבשתי (yabashty)
• Irish: mór-roinneach
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: continentale (it)
• Manx: mooarheeragh
• Occitan: continental
• Portuguese: continental (pt)
• Russian: континента́льный (ru) (kontinentálʹnyj)
• Spanish: continental (es)
• Swedish: kontinental (sv)
• Turkish: kıtasal
• Yiddish: קאָנטינענטאַל (kontinental)

in the main part of a country or region, as opposed to on one of its islands

• Czech: kontinentální (cs), pevninský (cs)
• Finnish: manner-
• Greek: ηπειρωτικός (el) (ipeirotikós)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: mór-roinneach
• Manx: mooarheeragh
• Portuguese: continental (pt)

characteristic of the style of continental Europe

• Bulgarian: европейски (bg) (evropejski)
• Czech: kontinentální (cs)
• Finnish: mannermainen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: continental (pt)
• Spanish: continental (es)

Noun

continental (plural continentals)

1. Someone from the continent.
   • 2012, Marjorie Senechal, I Died for Beauty: Dorothy Wrinch and the Cultures of Science:

     Reflecting on his long career chronicling scientists, J. G. Crowther wondered why it was that in the grand debates over the nature of light, x-rays, and cathode rays, the British opted for particles and the continentals for waves.

2. (US, historical) A member of the Continental army.
3. (US, historical) Paper scrip (paper money) issued by the continental congress, largely worthless by the end of the war.
4. (by extension) The smallest amount; a whit; a jot.

   not worth a continental

   I don't care a continental!

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Catalan

Etymology

continent +‎ -al

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kun.ti.nənˈtal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [kon.ti.nənˈtal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [kon.ti.nenˈtal]

Adjective

continental m or f (masculine and feminine plural continentals)

1. continental

Derived terms

• intercontinental

Further reading

• “continental” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “continental”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “continental” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “continental” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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French

Etymology

continent +‎ -al

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

continental (feminine continentale, masculine plural continentaux, feminine plural continentales)

1. continental

Further reading

• “continental”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Galician

Etymology

continente +‎ -al

Adjective

continental m or f (plural continentais)

1. continental

Derived terms

• intercontinental

Further reading

• “continental”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, since 2012

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Occitan

Etymology

continent +‎ -al

Adjective

continental m (feminine singular continentala, masculine plural continentals, feminine plural continentalas)

1. continental

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Portuguese

Etymology

continente +‎ -al

Adjective

1. continental

Derived terms

• intercontinental

Further reading

• Template:R:Priberam

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French continental.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌkon.ti.nenˈtal/

Adjective

continental m or n (feminine singular continentală, masculine plural continentali, feminine and neuter plural continentale)

1. continental

Declension

Declension of continental

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	continental		continentală	continentali	continentale
	definite	continentalul		continentala	continentalii	continentalele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	continental		continentale	continentali	continentale
	definite	continentalului		continentalei	continentalelor	continentalilor

Related terms

• continent

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Spanish

Etymology

continente +‎ -al

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kontinenˈtal/ [kõn̪.t̪i.nẽn̪ˈt̪al]

Adjective

continental m or f (masculine and feminine plural continentales)

1. continental

Derived terms

• intercontinental

Further reading

• “continental”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014