continuo

C3O1N1T1I1N1U1O1

noun

A member of the personal guard of the medieval and early modern Spanish or Portuguese kings.

Similar
figured bassbasso continuothorough bass
OriginSpanish continuo ← Latin continuus →
UncommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

continuo1

nouncontinuo (plural continuos)

plural continuos

  1. abbreviationellipsisentertainmentEllipsis of basso continuo.

continuo2

nouncontinuo (plural continuos)

plural continuos · alternative contino

  1. historicalA member of the personal guard of the medieval and early modern Spanish or Portuguese kings.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna bass part written out in full and accompanied by numbers to indicate the chords to be played

Similar
figured bassbasso continuothorough bass
Broader
bassbass part
Also see
basso continuofigured bass

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latincontinuus“constant, continuous”
  2. Spanishcontinuo
  3. Englishcontinuo

From Spanish continuo, ellipsis of hombre continuo (“constant and steadfast man”), from Latin continuus (“constant, continuous”).

More words from Spanish, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

continuo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/continuo

MLA

“continuo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/continuo. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “continuo,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/continuo.

Source: continuo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.