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.

1966, proprietary name for a kind of artificial grass, so called because it was used first in the Houston, Texas, Astrodome, indoor sports stadium. See astro- + turf. Houston was the site of the control center of the U.S. space program.

"of or pertaining to interior parts of a country," 1550s, from in + land (n.). The noun meaning "interior parts of a country (remote from the sea or borders)" is attested from 1570s. Meaning "confined to a country" (as opposed to foreign) is from 1540s. In Middle English and Old English the same compound meant "land immediately around the mansion of an estate, land in the lord's own occupation (as opposed to land occupied by tenants)." Related: Inlander.

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.

Himalayan land between Tibet and India, from Sanskrit bhota "Tibet" + anta "end." The local name is said to be Druk Yul "Land of the Dragon." Related: Bhutanese.

also land-mine, "explosive device placed on the ground (or just under it) as a weapon," 1871, from land (n.) + mine (n.2).

city of Thuringia, Germany, site of a famous university that dates to 16c.; attested from 9c. as Jani, from Old High German jani "strip of mown grass," ultimately from PIE root *ei- "to go."

Latin, "situation, position" (see site (n.)), used in English in certain technical writings (botany, archaeology, etc.) to indicate "proper or original position and location of something" (compare in situ).

city in central Italy, site of a school of medieval painting, probably from Senones, the name of a Gaulish people who settled there in ancient times. Related: Sienese. For the coloring material, see sienna.

directory listing names and headshots, by 1983, originally among U.S. college students, from face (n.) + book (n.). The social networking Web site of that name (with capital F-) dates from 2004.