microcontinent
|mi-cro-con-ti-nent|
🇺🇸
/ˌmaɪkroʊˈkɑːn.tənənt/
🇬🇧
/ˌmaɪkrəʊˈkɒn.tɪn.ənt/
small continental fragment
Etymology
'microcontinent' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the Greek prefix 'micro-' meaning 'small' and 'continent' (from Latin 'continēns'), where 'micro-' meant 'small' and 'continēns' meant 'holding together' or 'continuous'.
'continent' entered English via Old French 'continent' from Latin 'continēns' (present participle of 'continēre'); the Greek prefix 'micro-' (from 'mikros') was combined with 'continent' in Modern English to form 'microcontinent'.
Initially the parts literally meant 'small continent'; over time the compounded term came to be used as a technical geological term for an isolated fragment of continental crust rather than a fully independent continent.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a relatively small fragment of continental crust that has become isolated from a larger continent, often by rifting or sea inundation; a small landmass of continental (as opposed to oceanic) crust.
Zealandia is often described as a submerged microcontinent.
Synonyms
Noun 2
informally, any small landmass that resembles a continent in geological origin or scale relative to nearby islands.
Madagascar is sometimes referred to as a microcontinent because of its distinct geological history.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/10 21:10