# successive

Pronunciation: say "suhk-SES-iv" /səkˈsɛsɪv/

## Adjective

1. Coming one after another in an unbroken series.
   - Simple: Following one right after another, in order.
   - _The company posted gains for five successive quarters._
   - _On three successive nights the alarm went off just after midnight._
2. Relating to a succession; passed down by inheritance, as a title or right is.
   - Simple: Relating to a title or right that passes down through a family.
   - _The dukedom was a successive dignity, descending automatically to the firstborn._
   - _In that kingdom the crown was successive rather than elective, so no council ever chose the next king._
3. Relating to a grammatical aspect in which a secondary action must be completed before the primary action of the statement can occur.
   - Simple: Describing a verb form that shows one action must finish before the main action happens.
   - _The grammar describes a successive construction where the subordinate clause names an action already finished._
   - _Linguists noted that the successive marker on the first verb signals a completed event preceding the main one._

## Origin

It comes from the Latin verb "succedere," meaning "to succeed in."

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