continuous spectrum

noun Physics.

a spectrum apparently having all wavelengths over a comparatively wide range, usually characteristic of solids and other substances at high temperatures.
Compare band spectrum, line spectrum, spectral line.

Origin of continuous spectrum

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby continuous spectrum

continuous passive motion, continuous positive airway pressure, continuous positive pressure breathing, continuous positive pressure ventilation, continuous processing, continuous spectrum, continuous stationery, continuous suture, continuous variation, continuous wave, continuous waves

British Dictionary definitions for continuous spectrum

continuous spectrum

noun

a spectrum that contains or appears to contain all wavelengths but not spectrum lines over a wide portion of its range. The emission spectrum of incandescent solids is continuous; bremsstrahlung spectra consisting of a large number of lines may appear continuous