Saturday, November 23, 2019
Words That Follow Sequi
Words That Follow Sequi Words That Follow Sequi Words That Follow Sequi By Mark Nichol The Latin verb sequi, meaning ââ¬Å"follow,â⬠is the source of a diverse array of words pertaining to ââ¬Å"going afterâ⬠in one way or another. This post lists and defines the termââ¬â¢s descendants. Sequel, originally meaning ââ¬Å"retinueâ⬠and later coming to mean ââ¬Å"result,â⬠came from a Latin term meaning ââ¬Å"that which follows.â⬠The dominant modern sense, that of ââ¬Å"a continuation of a story,â⬠is nearly as old; prequel is a recent coinage created on the model of sequel to refer to a story that predates a related tale in an overarching narrative but was created first. Sequence originally denoted liturgical verses that followed others; later, the word came to mean ââ¬Å"seriesâ⬠or ââ¬Å"continuity or order of events,â⬠as well as ââ¬Å"result.â⬠The prevailing adjectival form is sequential, though sequent also exists. Consequent is the adjective form of consequence, which literally means ââ¬Å"follows withâ⬠and refers to a result (often, an unfortunate one); the adverbial form is consequently. (Consequence also means ââ¬Å"importance,â⬠as in ââ¬Å"a man of some consequence,â⬠from the idea of something significant having multiple consequences.) Subsequent (ââ¬Å"follows closelyâ⬠), with the same transformations to other parts of speech, is generally more neutral in connotation and pertains more to chronology than to outcome. Segue, originally an instruction, meaning ââ¬Å"now follows,â⬠in a musical score, came to mean ââ¬Å"smooth transitionâ⬠and usually refers to such an event in communication or the media, as when someone effortlessly changes the subject of a conversation by bringing up a related topic, or when one filmed scene shifts to another with little or no disruption. The adjective obsequious refers to someone who is overly attentive so as to gain favor; a sequacious person lacks independent or original thought. (The latter term is much more rare than the former.) The noun forms are, respectively, obsequiousness and sequaciousness (or sequacity); adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the respective adjectives. Sequitur, adopted directly from Latin, means ââ¬Å"consequenceâ⬠; it is used rarely, though it appears in the common term ââ¬Å"non sequitur,â⬠describing something that does not logically follow from what occurred or was said before. Sequester originally meant ââ¬Å"mediateâ⬠and later come to mean ââ¬Å"place in safekeepingâ⬠and then ââ¬Å"isolate.â⬠(Sequestration is a legal procedure or a chemical process.) Persecute and prosecute both mean ââ¬Å"follow,â⬠but persecution is persistent harassment or punishment, whereas prosecution is performance or pursuit as a duty, especially as in the context of bringing legal action or instituting legal proceedings, though originally the former term had a legal sense as well. Pursue (the noun form is pursuit) is descended from prosecute- not persecute- by way of French and originally referred to following someone with antagonistic intent; it still means ââ¬Å"chase,â⬠but often refers simply to following an inclination, as in ââ¬Å"He intends to pursue a medical degree.â⬠One who pursues is a pursuer; pursuant is a rare variant that also serves as an adjective, usually in legislative documents. An associated word that may not be immediately apparent as such is, regardless, right there in pursuit: suit. The sense of ââ¬Å"a set of clothingâ⬠for suit derives from the matching uniforms of a suite, or retinue; suite, by extension, came to also mean a set of things in general, especially a grouping of rooms or a series of musical compositions. The legal sense of suit (often referred to as a lawsuit) shares the ââ¬Å"setâ⬠sense from the notion of being part of a retinue attending (following) oneââ¬â¢s lord at court; courtiers would present a suit to obtain consideration from their superior. A suitor, therefore, is a party in a suit, or a petitioner, or one who seeks to take over a business or who courts a woman. To sue is to carry out a suit or to plead; the word is obsolete as a synonym for woo. (The name Sue, an abbreviation of Susan, ultimately from Hebrew and meaning ââ¬Å"lily,â⬠is unrelated.) Ensue originally meant ââ¬Å"followâ⬠or ââ¬Å"seekâ⬠; it retains only the former sense. Two other words whose derivation from sequi may not be apparent are sect, which pertains to a group within a religion with distinctive beliefs or observances, and execute, which means ââ¬Å"follow up,â⬠though it also developed the sense of ââ¬Å"carry out capital punishmentâ⬠from a legal sense of ââ¬Å"passing judgment.â⬠Sequin, a word for a small, shiny ornament often used on clothing, is unrelated; it derives ultimately from an Arabic term pertaining to minting currency, from the resemblance of a sequin to a gold coin. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" In Search of a 4-Dot EllipsisPeople vs. Persons
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