continual
See also: continuous
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- continuall (obsolete)
Etymology edit
From Middle English continuel, from Old French continuel, formed from Latin continuus (“continuous”) with the suffix -el.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
continual (not comparable)
- Recurring in steady, rapid succession.
- 2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: Wakefield Kirkgate”, in RAIL, number 948, page 28:
- The history of this station is one of continual rebuilding.
- (proscribed) Seemingly continuous; appearing to have no end or interruption.
- (proscribed) Forming a continuous series.
Usage notes edit
In careful usage, continual refers to repeated actions “continual objections”, while continuous refers to uninterrupted actions or objects “continuous flow”, “played music continuously from dusk to dawn”.[1] However, this distinction is not observed in informal usage, a noted example being the magic spell name “continual light” (unbroken light), in the game Dungeons & Dragons.
Related terms edit
Translations edit
appearing to have no end or interruption
recurring in steady, rapid succession
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forming a continuous series
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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References edit
Further reading edit
- “continual”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “continual”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.