Suc-çĕs'sion, n.

(-sĕsh'un), n. [Lat. successio, Fr. succession, Pr. successio, Sp. sucesion, It. successione. See SUCCEED.]

1. The act of succeeding or following after; a following of things in order of time or place, or a series of things so following; consecution; sequence.
2. A series of persons or things according to some established rule of precedence; as, a succession of kings; a succession of events in chronology.

He was in the succession to an earldom. Macaulay. 3. An order or series of descendants; lineage; race; descent. A long succession must ensue. Milton.

4. The power or right of acceding to the station or title of a father, or other predecessor; the right to enter upon the office, rank, position, &c., held by another.
5. The right to enter upon the possession of the property of an ancestor, or one near of kin, or preceding in an established order.
6. The person succeeding to rank, office, and the like. Milton.
7. (Mus.) The successive notes in melody, in distinction from the successive chords of harmony, called progression.

Apostolical succession (Theol.), the regular and uninterrupted transmission of ministerial authority, by a succession of bishops from the apostles to any subsequent period. Hook.—Succession of crops. (Agric.) The same as ROTATION.