Part 518

he can hear its continuous murmur. Longfellow.

2. (Bot.) Not deviating or varying from uninformity; not interrupted; not joined or articulated.

Continuous brake (Railroad), a brake which is attached to each car a train, and can be caused to operate in all the cars simultaneously from a point on any car or on the engine. -- Continuous impost. See Impost.

Syn. -- Continuous, Continual. Continuous is the stronger word, and denotes that the continuity or union of parts is absolute and uninterrupted; as, a continuous sheet of ice; a continuous flow of water or of argument. So Daniel Webster speaks of "a continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs of England." Continual, in most cases, marks a close and unbroken succession of things, rather than absolute continuity. Thus we speak of continual showers, implying a repetition with occasional interruptions; we speak of a person as liable to continual calls, or as subject to continual applications for aid, etc. See Constant.

Con*tin"u*ous*ly (?), adv. In a continuous maner; without interruption. -- Con*tin"u*ous*ness, n.

Cont"line` (?), n. 1. (Ropemaking) The space between the strands on the outside of a rope. Knight.

2. (Naut.) The space between the bilges of two casks stowed side by side.

{ Con*tor"ni*ate (?), ||Con*tor"ni*a`te (?) }, n., [It. contorniato, p. pr. of contorniare to make a circuit or outline, fr. contorno circuit, outline. See Contour.] (Numis.) A species of medal or medallion of bronze, having a deep furrow on the contour or edge; -- supposed to have been struck in the days of Constantine and his successors. R. S. Poole.

Con*tor"sion (?), n. See Contortion.

Con*tort" (?), v. t. [L. contortus, p. p. of contorquere to twist; con- + torquere to twist. See Torture.] To twist, or twist together; to turn awry; to bend; to distort; to wrest.

The vertebral arteries are variously contorted. Ray.

Kant contorted the term category from the proper meaning of attributed. Sir W. Hamilton.

Con*tort"ed, a. 1. Twisted, or twisted together. "A contorted chain of icicles." Massinger.

2. (Bot.) (a) Twisted back upon itself, as some parts of plants. (b) Arranged so as to overlap each other; as, petals in contorted or convolute Šstivation.

Con*tor"tion (k&obreve;n*t˘"shŭn), n. [L. contortio: cf. F. contorsion. See Contort, and cf. Torsion.] A twisting; a writhing; wry motion; a twist; as, the contortion of the muscles of the face. Swift.

All the contortions of the sibyl, without the inspiration. Burke.

Con*tor"tion*ist, n. One who makes or practices contortions.

Con*tor"tive (?), a. Expressing contortion.

Con`tor*tu"pli*cate (?), a. [L. contortuplicatus; contortus contorted + plicare to fold.] (Bot.) Plaited lengthwise and twisted in addition, as the bud of the morning-glory. Gray.

Con*tour" (?), n. [F. contour, fr. contourner to mark the outlines; con- + tourner to turn. See Turn.] 1. The outline of a figure or body, or the line or lines representing such an outline; the line that bounds; periphery.

Titian's coloring and contours. A. Drummond.

2. (Mil.) The outline of a horizontal section of the ground, or of works of fortification.

Contour feathers (Zo÷l.), those feathers that form the general covering of a bird. -- Contour of ground (Surv.), the outline of the surface of ground with respect to its undulation, etc. -- Contour line (Topographical Suv.), the line in which a horizontal plane intersects a portion of ground, or the corresponding line in a map or chart.

||Con`tour`nÚ' (?), a. [F., p. p. of contourner to twist.] (Her.) Turned in a direction which is not the usual one; -- said of an animal turned to the sinister which is usually turned to the dexter, or the like.

Con*tour"ni*a`ted (?), a. [Cf. Contorniate.] (Numis.) Having furrowed edges, as if turned in a lathe.

Con"tra (?). A Latin adverb and preposition, signifying against, contrary, in opposition, etc., entering as a prefix into the composition of many English words. Cf. Counter, adv. & pref.

Con"tra*band (?), n. [It. contrabando; contra + bando ban, proclamation: cf. F. contrebande. See Ban an edict.] 1. Illegal or prohibited traffic.

Persons the most bound in duty to prevent contraband, and the most interested in the seizures. Burke.