different between interminable vs continual

English

Etymology

From Middle French interminable, from Late Latin interminabilis

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?n?t??(?).m?n.?.b?l/

Adjective

interminable (comparative more interminable, superlative most interminable)

1. Existing or occurring without interruption or end; ceaseless, unending.

Translations

Noun

interminable (plural interminables)

1. (mathematics, dated) A repeating decimal.

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin intermin?bilis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /in.t??.mi?na.bl?/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /in.t?r.mi?na.bl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /in.te?.mi?na.ble/

Adjective

interminable (masculine and feminine plural interminables)

1. interminable, unending

Derived terms

• interminablement

Further reading

• “interminable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “interminable” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “interminable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “interminable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin intermin?bilis. Synchronically analysable as in- +? terminer +? -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.t??.mi.nabl/

Adjective

interminable (plural interminables)

1. unending, endless, ceaseless, neverending

Further reading

• “interminable” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Spanish

Adjective

interminable (plural interminables)

1. unending, interminable

   Synonym: inacabable

Related terms

• terminar

English

Alternative forms

• continuall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English continuel, from Old French continuel, formed from Latin continuus (“continuous”) with the suffix -el.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?t?nju?l/, /k?n?t?nj?l/
• Hyphenation: con?tin?u?al, con?tin?ual

Adjective

continual (not comparable)

1. Recurring in steady, rapid succession.
2. (proscribed) Seemingly continuous; appearing to have no end or interruption.
3. (proscribed) Forming a continuous series.

Usage notes

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”. 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

• continuance
• continuation
• continue
• continuous
• continuum

Translations

References

Further reading

• continual in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• continual in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• inoculant