Sequential

How to spell sequential

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce sequential

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sequential mean?

1. adjectiveFollowing in a logical or numbered order, one after another.

Sequential in a sentence

• The report lists every step in sequential order so nobody skips a stage.

• The software assigns a sequential number to each new invoice.

Where does sequential come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin verb sequi, meaning 'to follow'. Its present participle stem gave the Late Latin adjective sequentia, 'a following' or 'that which follows', and the related noun sequel and the verb 'to ensue' all spring from the same root. English took up 'sequence' from Old French in the medieval period, and the adjective 'sequential' was formed later, by the middle of the 1800s, to describe things arranged in a strict following order. The same sequi root quietly powers a surprising family of everyday words, including 'consequence', 'subsequent', 'pursue', and even 'second' (the thing that follows the first). Because the trap in spelling is the unstressed middle, writers must remember the 'qu' followed by 'ential', not 'encial' or 'enshal', even though the ear hears a soft 'shul'.

How the word is built

• sequent- (from Latin sequi: to follow)
• -ial (adjective suffix)