Where does “continue” come from?
Continue comes from Middle English continuen, from Old French continuer, from Latin continuare meaning to join together, derived from continuus meaning uninterrupted.
continue (English): To proceed with doing an activity; to prolong an activity
Definitions
- To proceed with doing an activity; to prolong an activity
Ancestry of “continue”, step by step
continue traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin continuō
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | continuō | to join, connect, unite, make continuous |
| 2 | Latin | continuus | continuous, uninterrupted, successive; straight,... |
| 3 | Latin | contineo | I hold or keep together/close, surround, contain;... |
| 4 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 5 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 6 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via Middle English continuen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | continuen | — |
| 2 | Old French | continuer | — |
| 3 | Latin | continuāre | — |