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succession

n.
US //səkˈsɛʃən// UK //səksˈɛʃən// suc·ces·sion
  1. 1 a series of events (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a number of similar things or events that happen one after another.

    a number of people or things of a similar kind following one after another in time or space.

    Example

    The team won a succession of games and moved to the top of the league.

    Example

    A rapid succession of technological breakthroughs in the late twentieth century fundamentally altered the global telecommunications landscape.
  2. 2 inheriting a position (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Law

    the process of taking over a title, office, or property from the person who had it before.

    the action or process of inheriting a title, office, or property, often governed by specific legal or hereditary rules.

    Example

    The prince is second in the line of succession to the throne.

    Example

    The sudden death of the CEO triggered a complex succession plan that had been drafted by the board of directors years earlier.

    Usage

    Often used with the preposition 'to'.
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  1. 3 ecological change (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Academic Science

    the natural process where different types of plants and animals replace each other in an area over time.

    the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time, typically following a disturbance.

    Example

    After the forest fire, we observed the natural succession of plants returning to the land.

    Example

    Primary succession began on the barren volcanic rock, starting with lichens and mosses before larger vascular plants could establish themselves.
Origin

Inherited from Middle English [Term?], from Old French succession, from Latin successiō (noun).

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