definitions

succession

[ suh k-sesh-uh n ]
/ səkˈsɛʃ ən /
||
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.

RELATED CONTENT

The Words That Make Us Tick: What Users Are Looking Up On Dictionary.com Every DayYou may have noticed a nifty new tool scrolling across the top of Dictionary.com. But, what makes it tick?
READ MORE
How To Name A CocktailThe cocktail renaissance of the 21st century, in which craft-cocktail bars have proliferated and classic cocktails are back in fashion, has proved that there is a true art to inventing and mixing drinks. But, what about naming them?
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

succentor, success, success story, successful, successfully, succession, succession of crops, succession state, succession, apostolic, successive, successively

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 forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for succession

British Dictionary definitions for succession

succession

/ (səkˈsɛʃən) /

noun

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

Science definitions for succession

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.