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discontinuous - 4 dictionary results

dis⋅con⋅tin⋅u⋅ous

  [dis-kuhn-tin-yoo-uhs]
Use discontinuous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not continuous; broken; interrupted; intermittent: a discontinuous chain of mountains; a discontinuous argument.
2. Mathematics. (of a function at a point) not continuous at the point.
Origin:
1660–70; < ML discontinuus. See dis- 1 , continuous

Related forms:
dis⋅con⋅tin⋅u⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
dis⋅con⋅tin⋅u⋅ous⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To discontinuous
dis·con·tin·u·ous   (dĭs'kən-tĭn'yōō-əs)   
adj.  
    1. Marked by breaks or interruptions; intermittent: discontinuous applause.
    2. Consisting of distinct or unconnected elements, such as the physical features of a landscape.
    3. Being without sequential order or coherent form.
  2. Mathematics Possessing one or more discontinuities, as a function.
dis'con·tin'u·ous·ly adv., dis'con·tin'u·ous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Discontinuous

Dis`con*tin"u*ous\, a. 1. Not continuous; interrupted; broken off.

A path that is zigzag, discontinuous, and intersected at every turn by human negligence. --De Quincey.

2. Exhibiting a dissolution of continuity; gaping. "Discontinuous wound." --Milton.

Discontinuous function (Math.), a function which for certain values or between certain values of the variable does not vary continuously as the variable increases. The discontinuity may, for example, consist of an abrupt change in the value of the function, or an abrupt change in its law of variation, or the function may become imaginary.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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discontinuous   (dĭs'kən-tĭn'y-əs)  Pronunciation Key 
Mathematics Relating to a function that contains one or more points where the function is either discontinuous or undefined.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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