järgnevuse

Järgnevus is an Estonian noun referring to the property of being consecutive or the relation of following in a sequence. The form järgnevuse is the genitive singular, used when discussing “of succession” or “the succession.” The word is derived from the adjective järgneva/järgnev, meaning “following” or “consecutive.”

In mathematical and computational contexts, järgnevus describes the immediate successor relation in a discrete order. If a and b are elements, b is a successor of a; in Estonian one might say that b järgneb a-le or b on a järgnev. This concept underpins the definition of sequences and iterative processes, where each term has a direct predecessor and successor. Järgnevus is also relevant in proofs by induction and in algorithmic design, where stepping through the next element of a structure is fundamental.

Beyond formal sciences, the term is used more generally to denote chronological or spatial consecutiveness. For example, the sequence of events in a timeline exhibits järgnevus, as does the order of items in a list or the steps in a procedure. In linguistics and discourse analysis, researchers may refer to the “following unit” or the sequential relationship between neighboring constituents as a form of järgnevus.

See also terms related to order and sequence, such as järjestus and järjekord, which describe broader notions of arrangement and ordering. Järgnevus emphasizes the immediate, one-after-another relationship within a sequence.