succession

英[sək'seʃ(ə)n] 美[sək'sɛʃən]

1. a following of one thing after another in time;

"the doctor saw a sequence of patients"

2. a group of people or things arranged or following in order;

"a succession of stalls offering soft drinks"

"a succession of failures"

3. the action of following in order;

"he played the trumps in sequence"

4. (ecology) the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established

5. acquisition of property by descent or by will