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continuo a continuous bass accompaniment on a keyboard instrument, used esp. in baroque music.
continuous extending or enduring without pausing or stopping; unceasing; unbroken.
continuous body a legislative body, such as the U.S. Senate, that achieves stability by staggering the terms of its members to prevent more than a minority of seats from changing in a single election.
continuum a continuous extent or whole, the parts of which cannot be separately perceived. [2 definitions]
contort to twist into an unusual or unnatural shape. [2 definitions]
contortion the act of contorting or process of being contorted. [3 definitions]
contortionist an acrobat who can twist his or her arms, legs, and body into unusual positions.
contour the outline of a surface, form, or figure; shape. [7 definitions]
contour map a map that shows elevation and land configuration with contour lines.
contra a member of a Nicaraguan counterrevolutionary group of the 1980s.
contra- opposite; against. [2 definitions]
contraband goods banned by law from being imported or exported. [5 definitions]
contraband of war war materials, such as weapons and ammunition, that may be confiscated by either side when transported to the other from a neutral government.
contrabass the largest and deepest-toned instrument of the violin family; double bass; bass viol. [4 definitions]
contrabassoon a bassoon that is larger than the ordinary bassoon and an octave lower in pitch; double bassoon.
contraception the prevention of conception; birth control.
contraceptive of, used for, or designed for the prevention of biological conception. [2 definitions]
contract an agreement, usu. legally binding, entered into by two or more parties that specifies what each party will do or not do. [8 definitions]
contract bridge a form of bridge in which only the number of tricks named in the contract may count toward a game, the excess tricks counting as a bonus score. (Cf. auction bridge.)
contractile able to contract or cause contraction.
contraction an act of contracting. [3 definitions]