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consecutive

n.
US //kənˈsɛkjətɪv// UK //kənsˈɛkjuːtˌɪv// con·sec·u·tive
  1. 1 consecutive interpretation (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical

    a type of translation where the speaker talks first and then the interpreter translates what was said.

    a mode of oral translation in which the interpreter begins speaking only after the original speaker has finished a segment of discourse.

    Example

    The witness gave his statement in short parts so the consecutive interpreter could translate accurately.

    Example

    During the legal proceedings, the court relied on consecutive interpretation to ensure that every nuance of the testimony was captured for the record.

    Teacher's tip

    In professional settings, this is often shortened to just 'consecutive' when contrasting it with 'simultaneous'.

  2. 2 repeated musical intervals (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Music

    a series of musical notes or chords that move up or down by the same amount each time.

    a sequence of notes or chords resulting from repeated shifts in pitch of the same interval.

    Example

    The composer used a series of consecutives to create a sense of rising tension.

    Example

    The theory professor warned the students against using consecutive fifths, as they were traditionally forbidden in classical part-writing.

    • parallelism
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  1. 3 linguistic sequence (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    a word or grammar form that shows one action happens right after another.

    a linguistic form or construction that implies or describes an event following temporally from a preceding one.

    Example

    In some languages, a specific verb form acts as a consecutive to show the next step in a story.

    Example

    The researcher analysed the use of the consecutive in ancient Semitic texts to understand how narrative flow was established without modern punctuation.

Origin

From French consécutif, from Medieval Latin cōnsecūtīvus, from Latin cōnsecūtus (“followed up”), from Latin cōnsequor (“to travel”).

Word family

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