ensue
/ɪnˈsuː/in-SOO
/ɪnˈsu/in-SOO
Meaningto follow upon
Common meaning: to follow
- enin, into; uponSkeat, Concise Etymological Dictionary (1911), p. 167 · scan
- sueto follow, come afterLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1677 · scan
‘in, into’ + ‘to follow, come after’ → ensue
Journey through time
- en — Latin in- “in, into; upon” (path traced)
- sue — Latin sequor, secūtus “to follow, come after” (path traced)
Parts join in Latin as insequi.
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin insequi, which Skeat (Concise Dictionary, 1911) analyses as in- ‘in, into; upon’ + sequi ‘to follow, come after’.
Roots
- insequi Latin “to follow upon”
- sequor, secūtus Latin “to follow, come after”
Related words
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