kənˈtinyəwəs adjective
Etymology: Latin continuus, from continēre to hold together — more at continent
1.
a. : characterized by uninterrupted extension in space : stretching on without break or interruption
a continuous and rather spacious channel — C.H.Grandgent
b. : characterized by uninterrupted extension in time or sequence : continuing without intermission or recurring regularly after minute interruptions
humanism has been sporadic, but Christianity continuous — T.S.Eliot
a continuous rearrangement of electrons in the solar atoms results in the emission of light — James Jeans
2. : operated without interruption
a continuous furnace
a continuous retort
3. of sculpture : having one depicted scene following another without an obvious break
4. of a beam, span, truss : having three or more supports or extending over two or more panels — see bridge illustration
5. of plant spores
a. : lacking septa
b. : merging or in protoplasmic continuity with the tissue of the cap or peridium (as in certain fungi)
6. : progressive 7
7. : of the nature of a continuum
8. of a function : having an arbitrarily small numerical difference between the value at a point and the value at any point in a sufficiently small neighborhood of the point
Synonyms: see continual