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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Contain \Con*tain"\, verb (used with an object) [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.
Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can not contain thee; how much less this house! --2 Chron. vi. 18.
When that this body did contain a spirit. --Shak.
What thy stores contain bring forth. --Milton.
2. To have capacity for; to be able to hold; to hold; to be equivalent to; as, a bushel contains four pecks.
3. To put constraint upon; to restrain; to confine; to keep within bounds. [Obs., exept as used reflexively.]
The king's person contains the unruly people from evil occasions. --Spenser.
Fear not, my lord: we can contain ourselves. --Shak.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
contained
adjective
1: controlled; "striking with contained ferocity at my head"- R.L.Stevenson
2: gotten under control; "the oil spill is contained"
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |