Etymograph

English

sequela

Sequela comes from Latin sequēla ‘aftermath, sequel’, from sequor ‘to follow’, 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*sékʷetor2reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōr2reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequor1‘to follow’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequēla1‘aftermath, sequel’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1970sequela1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English sequela
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin sequor
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1970, James Graham Ballard, Princess Margaret’s Face Lift: “Complications: haematoma formation is a dangerous sequela of this…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sekʷ-Wiktionary, English sequela‘to follow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sékʷetorWiktionary, Latin sequorreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōrWiktionary, Latin sequorreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequorWiktionary, English sequela‘to follow’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequēlaWiktionary, English sequela‘aftermath, sequel’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1970sequelaWiktionary, English sequela. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1970, James Graham Ballard, Princess Margaret’s Face Lift: “Complications: haematoma formation is a dangerous sequela of this…”

The story

The plural form is a learned borrowing from Latin sequēlae.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

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

say, see, social, second, saw, society, executive, sight, associate, suite, sue, saga, subsequent, consequence, intrinsic, consequently, dissociation, extrinsic, dissociate, seg, 34 more

through Proto-Italic *sekʷōr

pursuit, suitor, 17 more

through Latin sequor ‘to follow’

suit, pursue, consecutive, execute, prosecution, persecution, sect, executor, ensue, persecute, consequent, segue, sequitur, 19 more

Today it means

noun Chiefly in the plural: a condition or disease which follows chronologically after an earlier one, being either partly or wholly caused by it, or made possible by it.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sequela”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin sequor. 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- / sequela

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