From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcontinuocon‧tin‧u‧o /kənˈtɪnju-əʊ $ -oʊ/ noun (plural continuos) [countable] technical APMa musical part consisting of a line of low notes with figures showing the higher notes that are played with them
Examples from the Corpus
continuo• The best of the three is Arion, composed for soprano, flute and continuo.• Wind players are listed separately from string players, while those who play continuo instruments and accompany singers form yet another unit.• Schreier sets a brisk but effective tempo here and the horn and bassoons with continuo are first-rate.Origin continuo (1700-1800) Italian continuo “continuous”, from Latin continuus; → CONTINUOUS 