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Continuous vs Continent - What's the difference?

continuous | continent |

As an adjective continuous

is without break, cessation, or interruption; without intervening time.

As a proper noun continent is

(obsolete) the old world.

As a noun continent is

an encratite.

continuous

English

Adjective

(-)
  • Without break, cessation, or interruption; without intervening time.
    • a continuous current of electricity
  • * 1847 , , Ticknor and Fields (1854), page 90:
    • he can hear its continuous murmur
  • Without intervening space; continued; protracted; extended.
    • a continuous line of railroad
  • (botany) Not deviating or varying from uniformity; not interrupted; not joined or articulated.
  • (analysis, of a function) Such that, for every x'' in the domain, for each small open interval ''D'' about ''f''(''x''), there's an interval containing ''x'' whose image is in ''D .
  • (mathematics, more generally, of a function) Such that each open set in the range has an open preimage.
    • Each continuous function from the real line to the rationals is constant, since the rationals are totally disconnected.
  • (grammar) Expressing an ongoing action or state.

    • Usage notes

    *

    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 * See also

    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 * continuously * continuousness (in mathematics) * continuous distribution * continuous function * continuous group * continuous line illusion * continuous map * continuous mapping theorem * continuous space * continuous vector bundle * continuously differentiable function * uniformly continuous

    Related terms

    * continuity * continued * continuum

    See also

    * constant * contiguous

    References

    continent

    English

    (wikipedia continent)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) Land (as opposed to the water).
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.v:
    • The carkas with the streame was carried downe, / But th'head fell backeward on the continent .
  • A large contiguous landmass considered independent of its islands, peninsulas etc. Specifically, the Old World continent of Europe–Asia–Africa. See the Continent.
  • Each of the main continuous land-masses on the earth's surface, now generally regarded as seven in number, including their related islands, continental shelves etc.
    • Derived terms
    * the Continent * continental * supercontinent
    See also
    *
    Hyponyms
    * Africa * America * Antarctica * Asia * Australia * Europe * Eurasia * Gondwana * Laurasia * North America * Oceania * Pangaea * South America

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) continent, from (etyl) .

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Exercising self-restraint; controlled, temperate with respect to one's bodily needs or passions, especially sex.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower.
  • * 2009 , (Diarmaid MacCulloch), A History of Christianity , Penguin 2010, p. 119:
    • A celibate himself, he was of the opinion that marriage was something of a concession to human frailty, to save from fornication those who could not be continent , so it was better to marry than to burn with lust.
  • Not interrupted; connected; continuous.
    • a continent fever
  • * Berrewood
    • The northeast part of Asia is, if not continent with the west side of America, yet certainly it is the least disjoined by sea of all that coast.
  • (obsolete) Serving to restrain or limit; restraining; opposing.
    • (Shakespeare)
    Antonyms
    * incontinent