"watercourse, dry stream bed," 1845, a California word, from American Spanish, in Spanish, "rivulet, small stream," perhaps from Latin arrugia "shaft or pit in a gold mine," which is apparently a compound of ad "to" (see ad-) + ruga "a wrinkle" (see rugae).

1907, "grassland with scattered trees;" by 1937 as "land used for a park," from park (n.) + land (n.).

c. 1400, mainlond, "continent, principal land," from main (adj.) + land (n.). Usually referring to continuous bodies of land and not islands or peninsulas. Related: Mainlander. Mainland China, referring to the People's Republic (as opposed to Taiwan) is attested by 1955.

"over or across the country," 1580s, from over- + land (n.). As an adjective, "made, done, or lying upon or across the land," by 1800.

1550s, "continuous tract of land," from continent land (mid-15c.), translating Medieval Latin terra continens "continuous land," from Latin continens "continuous," present participle of continere "to hold together, enclose," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + tenere "to hold" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch").

As "one of the large land masses of the globe" from 1610s. As "the mainland of Europe" (from the point of view of Britain), from c. 1600.