discontinuity meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

discontinuity

noun

UK /ˌdɪs.kɒn.tɪˈnjuː.ɪ.ti/ · US /ˌdɪs.kɑn.tɪˈnu.ɪ.ti/

Etymology From Late Latin discontinuitās, from discontinuus, equivalent to dis- + continuity.

A lack of continuity, regularity or sequence; a break or gap.

4 more examples

detect a discontinuity
The data shows a clear discontinuity in temperature around 1990.
Geologists noted a discontinuity between the two rock layers.
Shock waves are sudden discontinuities propagated in compressible media – usually air.2012, George Dyson, Turing's Cathedral, Penguin, published 2013, page 57:

Mathematics, Sciences A point in the range of a function at which it is undefined or discontinuous.

Geography, Geology, Natural sciences a subterranean interface at which seismic velocities change

Synonyms: discontinuity, noncontinuity, unevenness
Antonyms: continuity
Derived terms: discontinuity systematics, Gutenberg discontinuity, Moho discontinuity, Mohorovičić discontinuity, Mohorovicic discontinuity
Related terms: discontinuous
Hyponyms: anacoluthon
Meronyms: break, crack, cut, fault, flaw, fracture, gap, hiatus, interruption, interval