Continues

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /kənˈtɪnjuːz/

Definitions

1. To carry on with a specific action or condition without stopping
2. To keep doing something without an interruption or pause
3. To maintain an activity or state continuously over a period of time

Etymology: This is the third-person singular form of "continue", so the story belongs to the verb itself. Its ancestor is Latin "continuare", built from "continuus" (uninterrupted, joined together), which in turn came from "continere", to hold together. The idea underlying the word is therefore one of unbroken connection: things held in a single, unbroken line. English borrowed the verb in the Middle Ages through Old French "continuer" from the Latin form "continuō". Before it arrived, English had its own native verb for the same idea. Old English "þurhwunian", roughly "to dwell through" or "remain throughout", did the job, and Middle English "thurghwonen" survived for a time before being displaced by the Latinate newcomer. So an everyday word of persistence, in Latin terms, is a word about things being held together without a break. The native verb it replaced described staying put through an event, while the imported one describes an action that never breaks its line.

Synonyms: persists, prolongs, endures, carries on, lasts

Antonyms: ceases, stops, discontinues, halts, ends