Happening frequently and regularly over a period of time, though not necessarily without interruption (distinguished from "continuous" which implies no breaks).
From Old French continuel, from Latin continuus "uninterrupted, continuous" (con- together + tenere to hold). English developed the distinction between "continual" (repeated) and "continuous" (unbroken) by the 17th century.
The subtle difference between "continual" and "continuous" reveals English's precision in describing time patterns - continual rain stops and starts, while continuous rain never stops. This distinction matters enormously in technical fields, legal documents, and scientific descriptions where the difference between intermittent and unbroken can be crucial.
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