continuous
[ kuh n-tin-yoo-uh s ]
/ kənˈtɪn yu əs /
adjective
uninterrupted in time; without cessation: continuous coughing during the concert.
being in immediate connection or spatial relationship: a continuous series of blasts; a continuous row of warehouses.
Grammar.
progressive(def 7).
Origin of continuous
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
usage note for continuous
See
continual.
OTHER WORDS FROM continuous
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH continuous
continual continuous intermittent (see usage note at continual)Words nearby continuous
Example sentences from the Web for continuously
British Dictionary definitions for continuously
continuous
/ (kənˈtɪnjʊəs) /
adjective
prolonged without interruption; unceasing
a continuous noise
in an unbroken series or pattern
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 (def. 2) See also limit (def. 5)
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 (def. 3)
grammar another word for progressive (def. 8)
Derived forms of continuous
continuously, adverb continuousness, nounWord Origin for continuous
C17: from Latin
continuus, from
continēre to hold together,
contain
usage for continuous
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
Medical definitions for continuously
continuous
[ kən-tĭn′yōō-əs ]
adj.
Uninterrupted in time, sequence, substance, or extent.
Attached together in repeated units.
Scientific definitions for continuously
continuous
[ kən-tĭn′yōō-əs ]
Relating to a line or curve that extends without a break or irregularity.
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.