Fortlauf

Fortlauf is a German noun meaning continuation, progression, or a running sequence. It denotes the ongoing development of events, a story that proceeds in installments, or a sequence that continues without interruption. The term is derived from fortlaufen, combining fort- “forward” and laufen “to run.” In everyday language, Fortlauf is used to describe both the course of time and the way information is organized or presented.

Usage spans several domains. In narrative and publishing, Fortlauf can refer to serialized content or an ongoing narrative that appears in multiple installments; in German publishing this is related to concepts like Fortsetzungsroman or Fortlaufgeschichten. In documentation and data management, Fortlauf often describes sequential or consecutive numbering, as in fortlaufende Nummerierung or fortlaufende Ziffern, where each item receives the next number without gaps—common in invoices, catalogs, and asset registers. In typography and writing, fortlaufender Text denotes continuous prose, as opposed to bulleted lists or segmented sections, and can be used to describe the flow of a text.

Variations and related terms include using Fortlauf to express the course or progression of events, or combining it with more specific phrases such as Fortsetzungsroman for a serial novel. In English, the closest equivalents are continuation, running sequence, or consecutive numbering. Overall, Fortlauf captures the idea of something that proceeds in a forward, uninterrupted manner across time, text, or records.