Contain

Contain
Contain Con*tain", v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Contained}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Containing}.] [OE. contenen, conteinen, F. contenir, fr. L. continere, -tentum; con- + tenere to hold. See {Tenable}, and cf. {Countenance}.] 1. To hold within fixed limits; to comprise; to include; to inclose; to hold. [1913 Webster]

Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can not contain thee; how much less this house! --2 Chron. vi. 18. [1913 Webster]

When that this body did contain a spirit. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

What thy stores contain bring forth. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. To have capacity for; to be able to hold; to hold; to be equivalent to; as, a bushel contains four pecks. [1913 Webster]

3. To put constraint upon; to restrain; to confine; to keep within bounds. [Obs., exept as used reflexively.] [1913 Webster]

The king's person contains the unruly people from evil occasions. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

Fear not, my lord: we can contain ourselves. --Shak. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • contain — contain, hold, accommodate denote to have or be capable of having within. To contain is to have within or to have as an element, fraction, or part; to hold is to have the capacity to contain or to retain; thus, a bookcase that holds (is capable… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Contain — may refer to: Container (disambiguation) Containment (disambiguation) See also All pages beginning with Contain All pages with titles containing contain* Content (disambiguation) Include (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • Contain — Con*tain , v. i. To restrain desire; to live in continence or chastity. [1913 Webster] But if they can not contain, let them marry. 1 Cor. vii. 9. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • contain — [v1] include, hold accommodate, be composed of, comprehend, comprise, consist of, embody, embrace, enclose, encompass, have, have capacity for, hold, incorporate, involve, seat, subsume, take in; concepts 112,736,742 Ant. exclude contain [v2]… …   New thesaurus

  • contain — [kən tān′] vt. [ME conteinen < OFr contenir < L continere, to hold < com , together + tenere, to hold: see THIN] 1. to have in it; hold, enclose, or include [the can contains tea, the list contains 50 items] 2. to have the capacity for… …   English World dictionary

  • contain — I (comprise) verb be composed of, be compounded of, be constituted of, be formed of, capere, comprehendere, consist of, embody, embrace, enfold, envelop, hold, include, incorporate, number, reckon among, subsist of associated concepts: containing …   Law dictionary

  • contain — late 13c., from O.Fr. contein , stem of contenir, from L. continere (transitive) to hold together, enclose, from com together (see COM (Cf. com )) + tenere to hold (see TENET (Cf. tenet)). Related: Containable …   Etymology dictionary

  • contain — ► VERB 1) have or hold within. 2) control or restrain. 3) prevent (a problem) from becoming worse. DERIVATIVES containable adjective. ORIGIN Latin continere, from tenere to hold …   English terms dictionary

  • contain — containable, adj. /keuhn tayn /, v.t. 1. to hold or include within its volume or area: This glass contains water. This paddock contains our best horses. 2. to be capable of holding; have capacity for: The room will contain 75 persons safely. 3.… …   Universalium

  • contain — [[t]kənte͟ɪn[/t]] ♦♦ contains, containing, contained 1) VERB: no cont If something such as a box, bag, room, or place contains things, those things are inside it. [V n] The bag contained a Christmas card... [V n] Factory shops contain a wide… …   English dictionary

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