mainland

C1 Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˈmeɪnlənd/ UK /ˈmeɪnlænd/ See IPA manual

Freq #8822

Meanings

1

noun
The main area of land of a country or continent, as opposed to its islands.

A ferry connects the island to the mainland twice a day.

Thesaurus

Word family

Derived forms mainlandermainlandization

Etymology

From Middle English mayne londe; equivalent to main + land. Compare Scots mayn-land, magan-land, madin-land (“mainland”), Faroese meginland (“mainland”), Icelandic meginland (“mainland”).

mayne londe Middle English

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# mainland

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmeɪnlənd/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmeɪnlænd/
**Frequency rank:** 8822

## Meanings
1. The main area of land of a country or continent, as opposed to its islands.

## Examples
- A ferry connects the island to the mainland twice a day.

## Derived Forms
- mainlander
- mainlandization

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: mayne londe

## Etymology
From Middle English mayne londe; equivalent to main + land. Compare Scots mayn-land, magan-land, madin-land (“mainland”), Faroese meginland (“mainland”), Icelandic meginland (“mainland”).

## AI Etymology
Mainland comes from Middle English mayne londe; equivalent to main + land. Compare Scots mayn-land, magan-land, madin-land (“mainland”), Faroese meginland (“mainland”), Icelandic meginland (“mainland”). The historical chain includes mayne londe (Middle English). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as mainlander and mainlandization. In present use it covers the main area of land of a country or continent, as opposed to its islands.

## Topics
- Places & Geography

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mainland

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