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con·tin·ue (kən-tĭny)
Share:
v. con·tin·ued, con·tin·u·ing, con·tin·ues
v.intr.
1. To go on with a particular action or in a particular condition; persist: We continued until the job was finished.
2. To exist over a period; last: The meeting continued for another hour.
3. To remain in the same state, capacity, or place: She continued as mayor for a second term.
4. To go on after an interruption; resume: The negotiations continued after a break for dinner.
5. To extend in a given direction: The stream continues for another five miles before it reaches the lake.
v.tr.
1. To carry on; persist in: The police will continue their investigation. I continued reading all afternoon.
2. To carry further in time, space, or development; extend: The builder will continue the road right through the swamp.
3. To cause to remain or last; retain or maintain: Are you continuing the prescription? The team continued its dominance over its opponents.
4. To carry on after an interruption; resume: After a break for lunch, we continued our hike.
5. Law To postpone or adjourn.

[Middle English continuen, from Old French continuer, from Latin continuāre, from continuus, continuous, from continēre, to hold together; see CONTAIN.]

con·tinu·a·ble adj.
con·tinu·er n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.