Continual, a.
Etymology: [OE. continuel, F. continuel. See Continue.]
1. Proceeding without interruption or cesstaion; continuous; unceasing; lasting; abiding. He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Prov. xv. 15.
2. Occuring in steady and rapid succession; very frequent; often repeated. The eye is deligh by a continental succession of small landscapes. W. Irwing. Continual proportionals (Math.), quantities in continued proportion. Brande & C.
Syn. -- Constant; prepetual; incessant; unceasing; uninterrupted; unintermitted; continuous. See Constant, and Continuous.
Shades of meaning
Continuous describes that which is absolutely without pause or break; continual, that which often intermits, but as regularly begins again. A continuous beach is exposed to the continual beating of the waves. A similar distinction is made between incessant and ceaseless. The incessant discharge of firearms makes the ceaseless roar of battle. Constant is sometimes used in the sense of continual; but its chief uses are mental and moral.