Etymograph

English

consecutive

Consecutive comes from French consécutif ‘consecutive, successive, sequential’, from Latin cōnsecūtus ‘followed up’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sekʷ-1‘to follow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sékʷetor1‘to be following’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōr1‘to follow, come/go after’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequor1‘to follow’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsequor2‘to travel’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsecūtus2‘followed up’
  7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500cōnsecūtīvus2‘consequent, consequential’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentconsécutif2‘consecutive, successive, sequential’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1919consecutive2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin consequor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English consecutive
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1919, Henry J. Watt, The Foundations of Music: “The theory suggests, but does not state explicitly, that…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sekʷ-Wiktionary, Latin consequor‘to follow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sékʷetorWiktionary, Latin consequor‘to be following’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōrWiktionary, Latin consequor‘to follow, come/go after’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequorWiktionary, Latin consequor‘to follow’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsequorWiktionary, English consecutive‘to travel’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsecūtusWiktionary, English consecutive‘followed up’
  7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500cōnsecūtīvusWiktionary, English consecutive‘consequent, consequential’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentconsécutifWiktionary, English consecutive‘consecutive, successive, sequential’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1919consecutiveWiktionary, English consecutive. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1919, Henry J. Watt, The Foundations of Music: “The theory suggests, but does not state explicitly, that…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- ‘to follow’

see, say, social, saw, society, second, sight, associate, subsequent, sue, suite, executive, saga, consequence, consequently, intrinsic, sequential, dissociation, sequestration, extrinsic, dissociate, sequester, seg, 30 more

through Proto-Italic *sekʷōr ‘to follow, come/go after’

pursuit, suitor, 16 more

through Latin sequor ‘to follow’

suit, pursue, sequence, sequel, execute, prosecution, sect, persecution, ensue, executor, consequent, segue, persecute, sequitur, 18 more

Today it means

adj Following, in succession, without interruption.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “consecutive”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin consequor. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- / consecutive

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