Consequently

How to spell consequently

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce consequently

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does consequently mean?

1. adverbAs a result of something; therefore.

Consequently in a sentence

• The train was cancelled and consequently she missed the meeting.

• He ignored the maintenance warnings; consequently the engine failed on the motorway.

Where does consequently come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb sequi, meaning 'to follow', which gave rise to consequi, 'to follow closely after' or 'to result from'. From that came the noun consequentia, describing something that follows logically or in time, a result or outcome. English borrowed the related forms through Old French in the late Middle Ages, and the adjective 'consequent' (that which follows) was in use by the 1400s. The adverb 'consequently', meaning 'as a result' or 'therefore', was built by adding the everyday -ly ending and became common in formal English by the 1500s. The same sequi root still underlies a whole family of familiar words, including 'sequence', 'sequel', and 'consequence', and noticing that the root keeps its 'sequ' spelling helps explain why consequently has that easily mishandled 'que' in the middle.

How the word is built

• con- (together, with)
• sequ (follow)
• -ent (adjective ending)
• -ly (adverb suffix)