[a. F. continuation (-acion) (13th c.), ad. L. continuātiōnem, n. of action f. continuāre to CONTINUE.]
† 1. The action of continuing in any course of action; perseverance, persistency. Obs.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., IV. vi. 141. It shal be cause of continuacioun and exercisinge to good folk.
1483. Caxton, Cato, I j. By contynuacion and to studye strongly thou shalt mowe acquyre grete connyng and prudence.
† 2. Continuity in space or of substance. Obs.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 202. These parastatæ do arise from the spirie bodden body … by continuation, and creepe obliquely backward and downward.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, III. ii. 382. This continuation of the Kings to Gods House, shewed the mutuall intercourse which ought to be betwixt Policy and Piety.
1726. Leoni, Designs, Pref. 4 a. Such Timbers interrupt the continuation of the Wall.
3. Remaining or going on in a state; continuous existence or operation; continuance; prolongation.
1469. Sc. Acts Jas. III., § 38. The court of Parliament … or sic like courtis, that has continuacione.
1654. Cokaine, Dianea, I. 21. The comliness of her countenance, the continuation of seeing her, would have subdued the obduratenesse of any heart.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Praise Poverty, Wks. 1730, I. 89. The continuation of weakness.
1704. Hearne, Duct. Hist. (1714), I. 400. They let Water run out of a small Orifice from one Vessel into another, with a continuation till the same Star came again to the same place.
1862. Dana, Man. Geol., Life, 251. The … continuation of a portion of the Niagara life beyond the termination of the [geological] period.
† 4. Abiding or remaining in place, residence, existence, etc. Obs.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., III. 162. Comets … whose first rise, continuation and disappearance may have been made in six moneths time.
a. 1673. T. Horton, Serm. on Ps. cxxxiii. 1. To Dwell … a word of Residence and Abode and Continuation.
5. The causing of anything to continue or go on; the continued maintenance of a condition or repetition of an action; the resumption of any interrupted action or course; the carrying on further of the story or discussion in a book.
1586. Thynne, in Holinshed, Chron., II. 464/2. The historie … half printed before I set pen to paper to enter into the augmentation or continuation of anie of them.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1638), 292. A decree made for the continuation of the league.
1634. W. Tirwhyt, trans. Balzac’s Lett., 196. I am forced to defer the continuation of this discourse till another time.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., IX. vi. § 39. The English Benedictines … began to bestirr themselves, about the continuation of their Order.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., I. xxvii. 316. They [Convocation] met sometimes in the Chapter House of S. Paul’s … and sometimes by continuation at King Henry VII’s Chapel.
1768. Sterne, Sent. Journ., The Pulse. Any one may do a casual act of good-nature; but a continuation of them shews it is a part of the temperature.
6. Sc. Law. = CONTINUANCE 2; adjournment, prorogation.
1861. W. Bell, Dict. Law Scot., 225 (heading), Continuation of the Diet. Ibid., 285. In a criminal prosecution … the continuation must be to another day certain, for the diet cannot be continued indefinitely, or sine die.
† 7. Math. A process in Fluxions equivalent to integration by parts. Obs.
1750. Phil. Trans., XLVII. iv. 21. The Law of continuation is exceedingly hard … this way to be discovered. Ibid. (1786), LXXVI. 441. The utility of finding fluents by continuation was manifest to Sir Isaac Newton.
8. Stock Exchange. The carrying over of an account till next settling-day: see CONTANGO.
1813. R. Hamilton, Nation. Debt, in Penny Cycl., XXIII. 72/1. Sometimes, instead of closing the account on the settling day, the stock is carried on to a future day on such terms as the parties agree on. This is called a continuation.
1851. Illustr. Lond. News, 46. At about 1/4 per cent. ‘continuation.’
1887. Daily News, 13 July, 2/2. In English railway stocks … the rates of continuation were moderate.
9. concr. That by which anything is continued; an addition continuing something already in existence or under notice.
1580. Hollyband, Treas. Fr. Tong, Teneur, suite, ou continuacion, the tenour or continuation.
1638. in Knolles’ Hist. Turks, To Rdr. To joyne vnto my former History a Continuation for some few yeares.
1671. Grew, Anat. Plants, I. vi. § 2. The Pilling is but the Continuation of the utmost part of the Barque.
a. 1711. Ken, Hymns Evang., Poet. Wks. 1721, I. 181. His whole Course Is but Continuation of the Source.
1841. Elphinstone, Hist. Ind., I. 443. Where it is crossed by the continuation of Mount Imaus.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), IV. 18. The Philebus … is supposed to be the continuation of a previous discussion.
b. Hence continuation of days; spec. in Sc. Law: see quot. 1861.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 165. Vpon the first day of the moneth of May … with the continuation of the dayis following.
1693. Stair, Inst., IV. ii. § 1. All points of process before them are with continuation of days.
1861. W. Bell, Dict. Law Scotl., s.v., The summons in a civil process authorizes the defender to be cited to appear on a certain day, ‘with continuation of days,’ and the summons may be called in Court, either on the day named, or within year and day of compearance, unless it be forced on by protestation.
10. Gaiters continuous with ‘shorts’ or knee-breeches, as worn by bishops, deans, etc. Hence in mod. slang, trousers, as a continuation of the waistcoat.
1825. Hone, Every-day Bk., I. 1184. The devil [was] in a red … vest, red ‘continuations.’
1836–9. Dickens, Sk. Boz, Winglebury Duel (D.). A sleek man … in drab shorts and continuations, black coat, neck-cloth and gloves.
1858. R. S. Surtees, Ask Mamma, lxviii. 305. Straight good legs, well set off with … kerseymere shorts, and continuations to match.
1883. W. C. Russell, Jack’s Courtship, in Longm. Mag., III. 18. For fear of spilling it over what a tailor would call my continuations.
11. Comb., as continuation bill; continuation-day = contango-day; continuation-school, one in which the education of the elementary school is continued to a more advanced age; so continuation-teaching.
1859. Helps, Friends in C., Ser. II. II. ix. 177. Every year there are more and more continuation bills, which is merely a fine name for work postponed.
1887. Mundella, in Pall Mall G., 15 Aug., 6/1. To make the education of the children thorough they must adopt the Continental system of continuation schools. Ibid. (1888), 10 Nov., 11/2. He held up as models the German ‘continuation’ schools, and suggested that compulsory evening classes for ‘continuation’ teaching would delight the working man.
