Plural of continuance; postponements of legal proceedings, or instances of continuing or lasting.
From continue via Old French continuer, from Latin continuare. The suffix -ance creates nouns from verbs. Legal continuance became a technical term for court postponements.
In law, a continuance can be a blessing or a curse—it might give you time to find evidence, or it might let an opponent stall indefinitely. Some judges are so frustrated with continuances that they've created 'trial ready' requirements to limit delays.
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