I. kənˈtinyəwənt adjective
Etymology: French or Latin; French continuant, from Latin continuant-, continuans, present participle of continuare to continue — more at continue
1. : continuing
2. phonetics : of, being, or having the character of a continuant
II. noun
( -s )
: one that continues : something that serves for continuation: as
a. : a consonant that may be continued or prolonged without alteration for the duration of an emission of breath : an open consonant:
(1) in some classifications : any consonant except a stop or an affricate
(2) in some classifications : any consonant except a stop, an affricate, a nasal, or a semivowel — compare spirant
b. mathematics : a determinant of which all the elements are zero except those of a principal diagonal and the two adjacent minor diagonals, one of the latter being made up of -1's
c. philosophy : something that continues to exist throughout some limited or unlimited period of time during which its inner states or its outer connections with other continuing existences may be changing or remaining unchanged — contrasted with occurrent
d. : a linguistic form descending without change or with only regular phonetic change from a form in an ancestral language or an earlier stage of the same language (as bed from Old English bed, home from Old English hām, Latin unus “one” from assumed Indo-European oinos ) — compare reflex