continuous variation

noun

Biology.

1. variation in phenotypic traits such as body weight or height in which a series of types are distributed on a continuum rather than grouped into discrete categories.

continuous variation

1. Variation within a population in which a graded series of intermediate phenotypes falls between the extremes. Height in human beings, for example, exists in continuous variation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of continuous variation¹

First recorded in 1890–95