continuo

See also: Continuo, contínuo, continúo, continuò, and continuó

English

Etymology 1

Noun

continuo (plural continuos)

1. (music) Ellipsis of basso continuo.

Etymology 2

From Spanish continuo, ellipsis of hombre continuo (“constant and steadfast man”), from Latin continuus (“constant, continuous”).

Noun

continuo (plural continuos)

1. (historical) A member of the personal guard of the medieval and early modern Spanish or Portuguese kings.

Alternative forms

• contino

Catalan

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Northern, Central) [kun.tiˈnu.u]

• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia, Northwestern) [kon.tiˈnu.o]

Verb

continuo

1. first-person singular present indicative of continuar

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.ti.nɥo/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

continuo m (plural continuos)

1. continuo

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konˈtinwo/ [kon̪ˈt̪i.nwʊ]
• Rhymes: -inwo
• Hyphenation: con‧ti‧nuo

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Latin con-

Proto-Indo-European *ten-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *tn̥eh₁yéti

Proto-Italic *tenēō

Latin teneō

Latin contin(eō)

Proto-Indo-European *-wós

Proto-Italic *-wos

Latin -uus

Latin continuuslbor.

Galician continuo

Learned borrowing from Latin continuus.

Adjective

continuo (feminine continua, masculine plural continuos, feminine plural continuas)

1. continuous

Derived terms

• continuamente

Related terms

• continuar
• continuidade

Further reading

• “continuo”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

Etymology 2

Verb

continuo

1. (reintegrationist norm) first-person singular present indicative of continuar

Italian

Alternative forms

• continovo (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konˈti.nu.o/, /konˈti.nwo/
• Rhymes: -inuo, -inwo
• Hyphenation: con‧tì‧nu‧o, con‧tì‧nuo

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin continuus, derived from contineō (“to hold together”).

Adjective

continuo (feminine continua, masculine plural continui, feminine plural continue)

1. continuous

   Antonym: discontinuo

Derived terms

• continuamente
• di continuo

Related terms

• continuare
• continuativo
• continuato
• continuatore
• continuazione
• continuità
• discontinuo

Further reading

• “continuo¹”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Latin continuō (“at once”).

Adverb

continuo

1. (obsolete) continuously

   Synonym: continuamente

Further reading

• “continuo²”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Etymology 3

Noun use of the adjective.

Noun

continuo m (plural continui)

1. that which has continuity or continuousness
   1. (physics, philosophy) that whose perception cannot be broken down into various distinct elementary perceptions
2. (by extension) a prolonged series
3. (mathematics) continuum (set of real numbers)

   Hypernym: insieme

Further reading

• “continuo³”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

continuo

1. first-person singular present indicative of continuare

Anagrams

• incutono

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [kɔnˈtɪ.nu.oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [konˈtiː.nu.o]

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Latin con-

Proto-Indo-European *ten-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *tn̥eh₁yéti

Proto-Italic *tenēō

Latin teneō

Latin contin(eō)

Proto-Indo-European *-wós

Proto-Italic *-wos

Latin -uus

Latin continuus

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin continuō

From continuus + -ō.

Verb

continuō (present infinitive continuāre, perfect active continuāvī, supine continuātum); first conjugation

1. (transitive) to join, connect, unite, make continuous

   Synonyms: colligo, illigo, ligo, cōnserō, coniungo, consocio, iungo, contraho, concilio

2. (transitive, time) to follow successively or uninterruptedly or immediately, pursuit

   Synonyms: persequor, sequor, cōnsequor, excipiō, exsequor

3. (transitive) to extend, prolong, lengthen

   Synonyms: extendō, porrigō, prōlongō, prōferō, prōtrahō, trahō, explicō

4. (intransitive) to continue, keep on, do without pause, persist

Conjugation

   Conjugation of continuō (first conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	continuō		continuās		continuat		continuāmus		continuātis		continuant
	imperfect	continuābam		continuābās		continuābat		continuābāmus		continuābātis		continuābant
	future	continuābō		continuābis		continuābit		continuābimus		continuābitis		continuābunt
	perfect	continuāvī		continuāvistī		continuāvit		continuāvimus		continuāvistis		continuāvērunt, continuāvēre
	pluperfect	continuāveram		continuāverās		continuāverat		continuāverāmus		continuāverātis		continuāverant
	future perfect	continuāverō		continuāveris		continuāverit		continuāverimus		continuāveritis		continuāverint
passive	present	continuor		continuāris, continuāre		continuātur		continuāmur		continuāminī		continuantur
	imperfect	continuābar		continuābāris, continuābāre		continuābātur		continuābāmur		continuābāminī		continuābantur
	future	continuābor		continuāberis, continuābere		continuābitur		continuābimur		continuābiminī		continuābuntur
	perfect	continuātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	continuātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	continuātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	continuem		continuēs		continuet		continuēmus		continuētis		continuent
	imperfect	continuārem		continuārēs		continuāret		continuārēmus		continuārētis		continuārent
	perfect	continuāverim		continuāverīs		continuāverit		continuāverīmus		continuāverītis		continuāverint
	pluperfect	continuāvissem		continuāvissēs		continuāvisset		continuāvissēmus		continuāvissētis		continuāvissent
passive	present	continuer		continuēris, continuēre		continuētur		continuēmur		continuēminī		continuentur
	imperfect	continuārer		continuārēris, continuārēre		continuārētur		continuārēmur		continuārēminī		continuārentur
	perfect	continuātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	continuātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		continuā		—		—		continuāte		—
	future	—		continuātō		continuātō		—		continuātōte		continuantō
passive	present	—		continuāre		—		—		continuāminī		—
	future	—		continuātor		continuātor		—		—		continuantor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		continuāre			continuārī			continuāns			—
future		continuātūrum esse			continuātum īrī			continuātūrus			continuandus
perfect		continuāvisse			continuātum esse			—			continuātus
future perfect		—			continuātum fore			—			—
perfect potential		continuātūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		continuandī		continuandō		continuandum		continuandō		continuātum		continuātū

Descendants

• English (through Middle French): continue
• Catalan: continuar
• Occitan: contunhar
• French: continuer
• Italian: continuare
• Norman: caontinuaïr (Guernsey), continnuer (Jersey)
• Portuguese: continuar
• Romanian: continua
• Sicilian: cuntinuari
• Spanish: continuar

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Latin con-

Proto-Indo-European *ten-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *tn̥eh₁yéti

Proto-Italic *tenēō

Latin teneō

Latin contin(eō)

Proto-Indo-European *-wós

Proto-Italic *-wos

Latin -uus

Latin continuus

Proto-Indo-European *-(e)-od

Proto-Italic *-ōd

Latin -ō

Latin continuō

From continuus + -ō.

Adverb

continuō (not comparable)

1. immediately, at once
2. from the first

   Synonyms: statim, cōnfestim, īlicō, extemplō, prōtinus

   • c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Evangelium secundum Matthaeum.26.74-75:

     et continuo gallus cantavit. Et recordatus est Petrus verbi Iesu quod dixerat, "priusquam gallus cantet ter me negabis". Et egressus foras ploravit amare.

     (after Peter denies Jesus a third time) And the rooster immediately sang. Peter then remembered what Jesus had said, "before the rooster sings, you will deny me three times." And he went outside, and cried bitterly.

Etymology 3

Adjective

continuō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of continuus

References

• continuo in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2026), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• “continuo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “continuo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “continuo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to continue one's office for another year: continuare magistratum (Sall. Iug. 37. 2)
    
  • to prolong some one's office for another year: continuare alicui magistratum
    
  • to march without interruption: iter continuare (B. C. 3. 11)
    
• continuo in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Portuguese

Verb

continuo

1. first-person singular present indicative of continuar; "I continue"

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Latin con-

Proto-Indo-European *ten-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *tn̥eh₁yéti

Proto-Italic *tenēō

Latin teneō

Latin contin(eō)

Proto-Indo-European *-wós

Proto-Italic *-wos

Latin -uus

Latin continuuslbor.

Spanish continuo

Learned borrowing from Latin continuus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konˈtinwo/ [kõn̪ˈt̪i.nwo]
• Rhymes: -inwo
• Syllabification: con‧ti‧nuo

Adjective

continuo (feminine continua, masculine plural continuos, feminine plural continuas)

1. (of actions) continual, constant (done or extending without interruption)
2. (of areas) continuous, adjacent (extending from one to another without interruption)
3. (of people) steady, persevering (continuing with one's task without interruption)
4. (of values) continual, nondiscrete (existing in an uninterrupted continuum)

Alternative forms

• contino (archaic)

Derived terms

• a la continua
• acto continuo
• bajo continuo
• continuamente
• continuismo
• corriente continua
• de continuo
• función continua

Related terms

• continuar
• continuidad

Noun

continuo m (plural continuos)

1. unity (an area extending without interruption)
2. (chiefly historical) vassal (a man bound to perpetual service to a king or similar lord, especially as a) man-at-arms or bodyguard
3. (historical) continuo (one of the 100 or so men-at-arms who formed the Spanish and Portuguese kings' perpetual personal guard)
4. (music) continuo (basso continuo)

Alternative forms

• continuum, contínuum

Derived terms

• solución de continuo

Further reading

• “continuo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 24th edition, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 30 October 2026
• continuo | Diccionario panhispánico de dudas | RAE - ASALE