succession

[suh k-sesh-uh n]

See more synonyms for succession on Thesaurus.com

noun

the coming of one person or thing after another in order, sequence, or in the course of events: many troubles in succession.
a number of persons or things following one another in order or sequence.
the right, act, or process, by which one person succeeds to the office, rank, estate, or the like, of another.

the order or line of those entitled to succeed one another.
the descent or transmission of a throne, dignity, estate, or the like.
Also called ecological succession. Ecology. the progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established.

Origin of succession

1275–1325; Middle English < Latin successiōn- (stem of successiō) a following (someone) in office, equivalent to success(us), past participle of succēdere to succeed + -iōn- -ion

Related formssuc·ces·sion·al, adjectivesuc·ces·sion·al·ly, adverbnon·suc·ces·sion, nounnon·suc·ces·sion·al, adjectivenon·suc·ces·sion·al·ly, adverb

Synonyms for succession

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2. See series.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for succession

series, sequence, string, progression, cycle, continuity, concatenation, run, chain, continuation, alternation, course, train, line, order, subsequence, consecution, sequacity

Examples from the Web for succession

Contemporary Examples of succession

When, in succession, he made Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963).
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
“I was at first on a cot, and then in a succession of accommodations,” he says.
The Pastor Who Scandalized His Town
Lloyd Grove
October 8, 2014
TR reinvigorated the office after a succession of grey presidents with his unself-conscious energy, idealism and determination.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDR
John Avlon
September 9, 2014
At one point in this show, a variation of this happened, in succession.
Butts, ‘Bang Bang’ & Beyoncé: The Craziest MTV Video Music Awards Moments
Kevin Fallon
August 25, 2014
Long before his immigration comments, the Governor punched through a succession of liberal hot-buttons: Marriage equality?
For 2016, Take Martin O’Malley Seriously
Jonathan Miller
August 3, 2014

Historical Examples of succession

So for two mornings in succession he was sent away from the office.
The Dream
Emile Zola
Rank after rank in succession appeared: literally thousands.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
He came ten days in succession, and gave me three hours each day.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
Several doors were opened in succession, and finally his own.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
All that we can know about that is that in us there is a succession of ideas, of representations; but we, but I, what is that?
Initiation into Philosophy
Emile Faguet

British Dictionary definitions for succession

succession

noun

the act or an instance of one person or thing following another
a number of people or things following one another in order
the act, process, or right by which one person succeeds to the office, etc, of another
the order that determines how one person or thing follows another
a line of descent to a title, etc
ecology the sum of the changes in the composition of a community that occur during its development towards a stable climax community
in succession in a manner such that one thing is followed uninterruptedly by another

Derived Formssuccessional, adjectivesuccessionally, adverb

Word Origin for succession

C14: from Latin successio, from succēdere to succeed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for succession

early 14c., "fact or right of succeeding someone by inheritance," from Old French succession (13c.), from Latin successionem (nominative successio) "a following after, a coming into another's place, result," from successus, past participle of succedere (see succeed). Meaning "fact of being later in time" is late 14c.

succession in Science

succession

[sək-sĕsh′ən]

The gradual replacement of one type of ecological community by another in the same area, involving a series of orderly changes, especially in the dominant vegetation. Succession is usually initiated by a significant disturbance of an existing community. Each succeeding community modifies the physical environment, as by introducing shade or changing the fertility or acidity of the soil, creating new conditions that benefit certain species and inhibit others until a climax community is established.♦ The sequential development of plant and animal communities in an area in which no topsoil exists, as on a new lava flow, is called primary succession.♦ The development of such communities in an area that has been disturbed but still retains its topsoil, as in a burned-over area, is called secondary succession. See more at climax community.