Succession
/səkˈsɛʃən/noun
The act or process of following one after another, especially in a line of inheritance or office.
Did you know?It comes from Latin words built on the root *ced-/cess-* meaning “to go,” the same root that gave English words tied to movement, retreat, and even legal claims of who comes next.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ked-
“to go, yield, or move away”
Latin
Latin
cedere
“to go, yield, withdraw”
Latin
Latin
successio
“a following after, succession; a coming into an office or place”
Old French
Old French
succession
“sequence, following one after another; inheritance”
Middle English
English
succession
“the act of following in order; the right of inheriting a throne or position”
Modern English
English
succession
“the process or order of following one another, especially in inheritance or office”