continuum

con·tin·u·um

noun \kən-ˈtin-yü-əm\

plural con·tin·ua\-yü-ə\ also con·tin·u·ums

Definition of CONTINUUM

1

: a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or progression of values or elements varying by minute degrees <“good” and “bad”…stand at opposite ends of a continuum instead of describing the two halves of a line — Wayne Shumaker>

2

: the set of real numbers including both the rationals and the irrationals; broadly : a compact set which cannot be separated into two sets neither of which contains a limit point of the other

Examples of CONTINUUM

1. His motives for volunteering lie somewhere on the continuum between charitable and self-serving.
2. a continuum of temperatures ranging from very cold to very hot

Origin of CONTINUUM

Latin, neuter of continuus

First Known Use: 1646