Consecutive

How to spell consecutive

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce consecutive

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does consecutive mean?

1. adjectiveFollowing one after another in unbroken order, with no gap in between.

Consecutive in a sentence

• The team won the title for three consecutive years.

• She was absent on four consecutive days without explanation.

Where does consecutive come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb consequi, meaning 'to follow closely' or 'to follow after', which joins the prefix con- 'together, with' to sequi 'to follow'. From the past-participle stem secutus came the medieval Latin adjective consecutivus, describing things that come one after another in unbroken succession. English adopted it in the early 1600s, first in logical and grammatical contexts before settling into its everyday sense of 'following on in order without a gap'. The same sequi root quietly powers a whole family of English words, including sequence, sequel, consequence, and prosecute, so recognising that secut spelling can anchor the middle of the word. The single c and single consonants throughout are the spelling trap: there is no double letter to be tempted by, despite how the word sounds.

How the word is built

• con- (together, with)
• secut (from sequi: to follow)
• -ive (adjective suffix)