mainland
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈmeɪn.lənd/, /ˈmeɪn.lænd/[1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Middle English mayn land, a compound of mayn (“main”) and land (see main and land).[2][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
The continuous body of land that makes up most of a country, as opposed to its islands: 1375 in the OED, about 1400 in Etymonline.[4][3]
Semantic evolution
It usually refers to continuous land, not islands or peninsulas.[3] The largest islands of Shetland and of Orkney have been called Mainland since 1596.[4][5] Regional uses followed: in Canada the part of British Columbia on the continent (1921), in Australia the continent as opposed to Tasmania (1934), and in New Zealand, colloquially, the South Island (1949).[4][5] Mainland China is attested by 1955,[3] and mainlander from 1860.[4]
Timeline
- 1375 – the main body of land.[4]
- 1596 – Mainland, Shetland and Orkney.[4]
- 1860 – mainlander.[4]
- 1934 – Australia, as opposed to Tasmania.[4]
- by 1955 – mainland China.[3]
Modern meaning
Noun
- The main landmass of a country or continent, as opposed to its islands and peninsulas.
- (New Zealand) A South Islanders' name for the South Island.
- The largest island of Shetland or of Orkney.
Word family
- mainlander
- mainland China
Related words
References
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins