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Origin and history of continue

continue(v.)

mid-14c., contynuen, "maintain, sustain, preserve;" late 14c., "go forward or onward; persevere in," from Old French continuer (13c.) and directly from Latin continuare "join together in uninterrupted succession, make or be continuous, do successively one after another," from continuus "joining, connecting with something; following one after another," from continere (intransitive) "to be uninterrupted," literally "to hang together" (see contain). Related: Continued; continuing.

Sense of "to carry on from the point of suspension" is from early 15c. Meaning "to remain in a state, place, or office" is from early 15c. Transitive sense of "to extend from one point to another" is from 1660s. Meaning "to postpone a hearing or trial" is from mid-15c.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to continue

contain(v.)

c. 1300, "restrain (someone), control (oneself), behave (in a certain way)," from Old French contein-, tonic stem of contenir, from Latin continere (transitive) "to hold together, enclose," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + tenere "to hold" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch").

From mid-14c. as "to have (something) as a constituent part;" from late 14c. as "have something inside, enclose." Related: Contained; containing; containable.

contango(n.)

1853, "charge made or percentage received by a broker or seller for deferring settlement of a stock sale," a stockbroker's invention, perhaps somehow derived from continue, or from Spanish contengo "I contain, refrain, restrain, check." Continuation was used in this sense from 1813. As a verb, from 1900.

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carry on
1640s, "continue to advance," also "manage, be engaged in," from carry (v.) + on (adv.). The meaning "conduct oneself in a wild and thoughtless manner" is by 1828. Carryings-on is from 1660s as "questionable doings," from 1866 as "riotous behavior." As an adjective, carry-on, in
preserve
late 14c., preserven, "keep safe or free from harm," also "act so as to insure that something does not occur," from Anglo-French preservare, Old French preserver, Medieval Latin preservare "keep, preserve," all from Late Latin praeservare "guard beforehand," from Latin prae "befo
proceed
late 14c., proceden, "to go, go on, move in a certain direction, go about one's business," also "to emanate from, result from; to issue or come, as from an origin or course," from Old French proceder (13c., Modern French procéder) and directly from Latin procedere (past participl
persevere
in what one has undertaken, to pursue steadily a design or course," late 14c., perseveren, from Old French perseverer "continue..., persevere, endure" and directly from Latin perseverare "continue steadfastly, persist," from persevereus "very strict,...
persist
"continue steadily and firmly in some state or course of action," especially in spite of opposition or remonstrance; "persevere...obstinately," 1530s, from French persister (14c.), from Latin persistere "abide, continue steadfastly," from per "thoroughly...
sue
c. 1200, "continue, persevere," from Anglo-French suer "follow after, continue," Old French suir, sivre "pursue, follow after...
rest
[be left, remain] mid-15c., "remain, continue in existence," from Old French rester "to remain, stay" (12c.), from Latin... The older sense of "to continue to be" is rare but in phrases such as rest assured....The transitive sense of "to keep, cause to continue to remain" was common in 16c.-17c., "used with a predicate adjective...
maintain
c. 1300, maintenen, "to support, uphold, aid;" also "hold fast, keep in possession, preserve from capture or loss," from Anglo-French meintenir (Old French maintenir, 12c.) "keep (a wife), sustain; persevere in, practice continually," from Latin manu tenere "hold in the hand," fr
sustain
late 13c., sustenen, transitive, "provide the necessities of life to;" by early 14c. as "give support to (an effort or cause); also in physical senses, "keep from falling or sinking, hold up or upright;" also "give assistance to; keep (a quarrel, etc.) going." It is from the stem
jog
1540s, "to shake up and down," perhaps altered from Middle English shoggen "to shake, jolt, move with a jerk" (late 14c.), a word of uncertain origin. Meanings "touch or push slightly," "stir up or stimulate by hint or push," and "walk or ride with a jolting pace" all are from 16

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