You searched for: “succeeding
succeed (verb), succeeds; succeeded; succeeding
1. To happen or terminate according to a desire; to turn out successfully; have the desired result.
2. To thrive, prosper, grow, or the like.
3. To accomplish what is attempted or intended.
4. To follow or replace another by descent, election, appointment, etc. (often followed by to).
5. To come next after something else in an order or series.
6. Etymology: from Old French succeder, "come next after, take the place of another"; from Latin succedere, "to come after, to go near to"; from suc-, "up, near" a variant of sub, "under" + cedere, "to go, to move".

The sense of "have a favorable result", is first recorded in Middle English before 1475.

To succeed anyone is etymologically to "go next to someone"; hence, "to follow someone".

The word came into English via Old French succeder from Latin succedere, a compound verb formed from the prefix sub-, "under" (used here in the sense of "next below"; therefore, "next to, after") and cedere, "to 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 the English word succeed.

—Compiled from information provided in
Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto;
Arcade Publishing; New York; page 509.
This entry is located in the following units: -cede, -ceed, -cess, -cease (page 6) Quotes: Success (page 1)