succeed

pronunciation

How to pronounce succeed in British English: UK [səkˈsiːd] word uk audio image

How to pronounce succeed in American English: US [səkˈsiːd] word us audio image

Word Origin

succeed: succeed: [15] To succeed someone is etymologically to ‘go next to them’, hence to follow them. The word comes via Old French succeder from Latin succēdere, a compound verb formed from the prefix sub- ‘under’ (used here in the sense ‘next below’, hence ‘next to, after’) and cēdere ‘go’ (source also of English cede, exceed, proceed, etc). The notion of ‘getting near to something’ evolved in Latin into ‘doing well, prospering’ – whence the other main meaning of English succeed.=> cede, excede, proceed, success

succeed (v.): late 14c., intransitive and transitive, "come next after, follow after another; take the place of another, be elected or chosen for" a position, from Old French succeder "to follow on" (14c.) and directly from Latin succedere "come after, follow after; go near to; come under; take the place of," also "go from under, mount up, ascend," hence "get on well, prosper, be victorious," from sub "next to, after" (see sub-) + cedere "go, move" (see cede). Meaning "to continue, endure" is from early 15c. The sense of "turn out well, have a favorable result" in English is first recorded late 15c., with ellipsis of adverb (succeed well). Of persons, "to be successful," from c. 1500. Related: Succeeded; succeeding.

vi.

vt. & vi.