noun
mainland
MAYN-land
noun
1
The main continuous landmass of a country or region, as opposed to its islands.
"They took a ferry from the island back to the mainland."
How to Use Mainland
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe primary land area of a country, distinguished from any smaller islands that belong to it.
Common pairings
travel to the mainland
mainland China
mainland Europe
Word Forms
mainlands plural
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They took a ferry from the island back to the _____.
Etymology
From Middle English mayne londe, equivalent to main + land.