continuous

[kuh n-tin-yoo-uh s] /kənˈtɪn yu əs/
adjective
1.
uninterrupted in time; without cessation:
continuous coughing during the concert.
2.
being in immediate connection or spatial relationship:
a continuous series of blasts; a continuous row of warehouses.
3.
Grammar, progressive (def 7).
Origin
1635-45; < Latin continuus uninterrupted, equivalent to contin(ēre) to hold together, retain (con- con- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold; cf. contain) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix; cf. -ous, contiguous
Related forms
continuously, adverb
continuousness, noun
noncontinuous, adjective
noncontinuously, adverb
noncontinuousness, noun
quasi-continuous, adjective
quasi-continuously, adverb
semicontinuous, adjective
semicontinuously, adverb
uncontinuous, adjective
uncontinuously, adverb
Can be confused
continual, continuous, intermittent (see usage note at continual)
Usage note
See continual.
Examples from the web for continuous
  • And it makes sense that bouts of positive selection wouldn't be continuous and constant.
  • We have found that they respond well to constant encouragement and continuous feedback on their progress.
  • There is one key element of a successful meal that can't be planned in advance-lively, continuous conversation.
  • At the time, no scientist had ever made all-night continuous measurements of brain-wave activity.
  • It is a weird little morality tale, told in a taut, telescoped style that gives the effect of a continuous close-up.
  • And the system would be one of continuous learning and iteration with better robots being made every second.
  • The gliders can provide a potentially continuous stream of information.
  • Radar gun emits a continuous stream of microwaves at a preset frequency.
  • And artificial ponds maintained throughout the year would have enabled continuous access to fresh fish and drinking water.
  • Yet they also noted the absence of many forest-dwelling birds in the shade-coffee areas that were distant from continuous forests.
British Dictionary definitions for continuous

continuous

/kənˈtɪnjʊəs/
adjective
1.
prolonged without interruption; unceasing: a continuous noise
2.
in an unbroken series or pattern
3.
(maths) (of a function or curve) changing gradually in value as the variable changes in value. A function f is continuous if at every value a of the independent variable the difference between f(x) and f(a) approaches zero as x approaches a Compare discontinuous (sense 2) See also limit (sense 5)
4.
(statistics) (of a variable) having a continuum of possible values so that its distribution requires integration rather than summation to determine its cumulative probability Compare discrete (sense 3)
5.
(grammar) another word for progressive (sense 8)
Derived Forms
continuously, adverb
continuousness, noun
Usage note
Both continual and continuous can be used to say that something continues without interruption, but only continual can correctly be used to say that something keeps happening repeatedly
Word Origin
C17: from Latin continuus, from continēre to hold together, contain
Word Origin and History for continuous
adj.

1640s, from French continueus or directly from Latin continuus "uninterrupted, hanging together" (see continue). Related: Continuously.

continuous in Medicine

continuous con·tin·u·ous (kən-tĭn'yōō-əs)
adj.

  1. Uninterrupted in time, sequence, substance, or extent.

  2. Attached together in repeated units.

continuous in Science
continuous
  (kən-tĭn'y-əs)   

  1. Relating to a line or curve that extends without a break or irregularity.

  2. A function in which changes, however small, to any x-value result in small changes to the corresponding y-value, without sudden jumps. Technically, a function is continuous at the point c if it meets the following condition: for any positive number ε, however small, there exists a positive number δ such that for all x within the distance δ from c, the value of f(x) will be within the distance ε from f(c). Polynomials, exponential functions, and trigonometric functions are examples of continuous functions.