Continual - plus, The Trick to Choosing 'Pawn Off' or 'Palm Off'

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY September 15, 2019 continual [Audio pronunciation]( adjective | kun-TIN-yoo-ul Definition 1 : [continuing]( indefinitely in time without interruption 2 : recurring in steady usually rapid succession Scroll down for more about continual TRENDING NOW: [stymie]( [what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander]( [prorogue]( [the]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING [The Trick to Choosing 'Pawn Off' or 'Palm Off']( [The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 9/13/19]( [A Guide to Using Colons]( ['Appraise' or 'Apprise']( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [Musical Words Quiz]( A quiz in common time. [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? Since the mid-19th century, many grammarians have drawn a distinction between continual and [continuous](. Continual should only mean "occurring at regular intervals," they insist, whereas continuous should be used to mean "continuing without interruption." This distinction overlooks the fact that continual is the older word and was used with both meanings for centuries before continuous appeared on the scene. Today, continual is the more likely of the two to mean "recurring," but it also continues to be used, as it has been since the 14th century, with the meaning "continuing without interruption." Examples of CONTINUAL The continual blaring of the car's alarm outside made it very difficult for Jane to focus on her work that morning. "Cows can drink upwards of 50 gallons of water a day, so making sure the animals have continual access to clean water is a must." — [Stephanie Blaszczyk, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 July 2019]( Test Your Vocabulary Fill in the blanks to complete a word that refers to a source of continual supply: w _ l _ s _ r _ n _. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( SHARE: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street, P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA, 01102, USA [www.merriam-webster.com]( | [Privacy Policy]( © 2019 by Merriam-Webster, Inc.