the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use `Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
"The map shows Europe as the second-smallest continent, distinct from the British Isles."
an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members
"he tried to take Britain into the Europen Union"
the nations of the European continent collectively
"the Marshall Plan helped Europe recover from World War II"
Europe
"Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres."
The portion of Eurasia west of the Urals, traditionally considered a continent in its own right, located north of Africa, west of Asia and east of the Atlantic Ocean.
"The vast region known as Europe stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Ural Mountains, distinctively separating itself from Asia while lying directly north of Africa."
The word Europe comes from the Latin word Eurōpa, which was itself borrowed from ancient Doric Greek. In its original form, it referred to the continent known today as Europe.