continuous adj

1 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" [syn: uninterrupted] [ant: discontinuous]

2 of a function or curve; extending without break or irregularity [ant: discontinuous]

English

Etymology

From continuus, from continere, ‘to hold together’.

Pronunciation

• , /kənˈtɪnjuəs/, /k@n"tInju@s/

Adjective

1. Without break, cessation, or interruption; without intervening time.
   • a continuous current of electricity
   • He can hear its continuous murmur. - Longfellow.
2. Without intervening space; continued; protracted; extended.
   • a continuous line of railroad
3. Not deviating or varying from uniformity; not interrupted; not joined or articulated.
4. Of a map, having the mathematical property that has the following formal \epsilon-\delta-definition: Given I,D\subset\mathbb (I and D are subsets of the real numbers), continuity of f(x):I \to D (f(x) maps the interval I to the interval D) at c\in\mathbb means, for all \varepsilon>0, there exists a \delta>0 such that |x-c| and x\in I implies |f(x)-f(c)|.
5. Expressing an ongoing action or state.

Usage notes

• 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.

Synonyms

• (without break, cessation, or interruption in time): constant, continual (but see usage notes above), incessant, never-ending, ongoing, unbroken, unceasing, unending, uninterrupted
• (without break, cessation, or interruption in space): connected, unbroken

Antonyms

• (without break, cessation, or interruption in time): broken, discontinuous, discrete, intermittent, interrupted
• (without break, cessation, or interruption in space): broken, disconnected, disjoint, unbroken
• (in mathematical analysis): discontinuous, stepwise

Derived terms

• continuous brake
• continuous impost

In mathematics

• continuity
• continued
• continuum
• continuous distribution
• continuous function
• continuous group
• continuous line illusion
• continuous map
• continuous mapping theorem
• continuous space
• continuous vector bundle
• continuously differentiable function

Translations