continuous

Adjective

WordNet 3.0

Adjective (2)

continuing in time or space without interruption“a continuous rearrangement of electrons in the solar atoms results in the emission of light — James Jeans”“a continuous bout of illness lasting six months”“lived in continuous fear”“a continuous row of warehouses”“a continuous line has no gaps or breaks in it”“moving midweek holidays to the nearest Monday or Friday allows uninterrupted work weeks”Synonyms: uninterrupted
of a function or curve; extending without break or irregularity

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Continuous \Con*tin"u*ous\, a. [L. continuus, fr. continere to hold together. See Continent.]

1.Without break, cessation, or interruption; without intervening space or time; uninterrupted; unbroken; continual; unceasing; constant; continued; protracted; extended; as, a continuous line of railroad; a continuous current of electricity. [1913 Webster]

he can hear its continuous murmur.— Longfellow.[1913 Webster]

2.(Bot.) Not deviating or varying from uninformity; not interrupted; not joined or articulated. [1913 Webster]

Continuous brake (Railroad), a brake which is attached to each car a train, and can be caused to operate in all the cars simultaneously from a point on any car or on the engine.

Continuous impost. See Impost.

Syn: Continuous, Continual.

Usage: Continuous is the stronger word, and denotes that the continuity or union of parts is absolute and uninterrupted; as, a continuous sheet of ice; a continuous flow of water or of argument. So Daniel Webster speaks of "a continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs of England." Continual, in most cases, marks a close and unbroken succession of things, rather than absolute continuity. Thus we speak of continual showers, implying a repetition with occasional interruptions; we speak of a person as liable to continual calls, or as subject to continual applications for aid, etc. See Constant. [1913 Webster]