succed

Succed is an English verb that historically meant to come after or to follow, especially in the sense of assuming a position or rank in sequence. In modern English, succed is regarded as archaic or obsolete, with the standard form being succeed. The verb is primarily encountered in historical texts, philological studies, and some Early Modern English writings.

Etymology and historical usage

Succed derives from Old French succéder, which itself comes from Latin succedere, meaning to come after or to go after. The form appears in early English as a variant spelling or independent verb before standardization favored succeed. In texts from the past, succed often appears in phrases describing succession to offices, thrones, or other positions. Today, these usages are largely of linguistic or scholarly interest, illustrating the evolution of English spelling and grammar.

Modern status and usage

Today, succed is rarely used outside of descriptions of historical language. Contemporary writers use succeed for most purposes, including forms such as succeed, succeeded, and succeeding. When discussing the history of English or providing example citations from older literature, succed may be mentioned as an obsolete variant or as part of a discussion of archaic vocabulary.

Relation to related terms

Succed is closely related to succeed and to the noun succession. It shares the same Latin root, succedere, and reflects the same core meaning—to come after or to follow in order or position. In modern usage, the distinction is mainly orthographic and historical rather than semantic.