# sequence

Pronunciation: say "SEE-kwuhns" US /ˈsikwəns/, UK/AUS /ˈsiːkwəns/

## Noun

1. A series of things that follow one another in a particular order.
   - Simple: A group of things placed one after another in a fixed order.
   - _The instructions must be completed in the correct sequence or the machine will jam._
   - _He memorized the entire sequence of moves before the competition._
2. The condition of following one after another; order of succession.
   - Simple: The order in which one thing comes after another.
   - _The sequence of historical events shaped the nation's borders._
   - _Cause and effect follow in strict sequence._
4. A series of shots in a film or television show that depict a single action or style.
   - Simple: A set of shots in a movie or show that together show one action or scene.
   - _The director shot the dream sequence in a single take._
   - _Editors trimmed the fight sequence to keep the pace tight._
5. A mathematical list in which each entry has a fixed position, generally identified by a natural number.
   - Simple: A list of numbers or things put in a fixed order, one after another.
   - _The Fibonacci sequence begins with 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8._
   - _Mathematicians proved the sequence converges to a finite limit._
7. A series of musical phrases in which a theme or melody is repeated, with some change each time, such as in pitch or length.
   - Simple: A short musical idea that is repeated several times, each time a little higher or lower.
   - _The melody rises through a rising sequence before resolving to the home key._
   - _Bach often spins long passages out of a single sequence._
8. A meld in which at least three cards share a suit and form an unbroken run of ranks.
   - Simple: A group of three or more cards of the same suit in a row.
   - _He completed a heart sequence with the jack, queen, and king._
   - _Holding a long sequence gave her a strong advantage._
10. A musical composition used in some Catholic Masses between the readings, the most famous being the Dies Irae once sung at funeral services.
   - Simple: A type of song sung during some Catholic Masses, between the readings.
   - _The Dies Irae is the most haunting sequence in the medieval repertoire._
   - _Composers set the Easter sequence to elaborate polyphony._

## Verb

3. To decide and set the order in which things come, such as chapters or slides.
   - Simple: To put things in a particular order.
   - _Editors sequence the chapters to build tension gradually._
   - _She sequenced the slides so the argument flowed logically._
6. To establish the order in which the monomers of a biological polymer are linked, such as the amino acids of a protein or the bases of a nucleic acid.
   - Simple: To find out the order of the building blocks in a molecule like DNA or a protein.
   - _Researchers sequence the bacterial DNA to identify the strain._
   - _Her team sequenced the protein to locate the faulty region._
9. To create or arrange a piece of music electronically using a sequencer.
   - Simple: To make music using a machine called a sequencer.
   - _He sequenced the drum patterns before adding live guitar._
   - _Modern producers sequence entire albums without a single live instrument._

## Verb

11. To move through a sequence or series of things, one stage after another. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To move step by step through a series of things.
   - _The dancers sequence through their formations without missing a beat._
   - _The automated valves sequence in a precise rhythm during startup._

## Noun

12. An event that follows from another; a consequence or result. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Something that happens as a result of an earlier event.
   - _The widow's poverty was the inevitable sequence of her husband's debts._
   - _Such reforms, the writers argued, were the natural sequence of the revolution._

## Origin

It comes from Middle English and Old French sequence, from Late Latin sequentia ("a following"), from Latin sequēns ("following"), from the verb sequī ("to follow").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sequence (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).