successiva

Successiva is the feminine singular form of the Italian adjective successivo, meaning "following," "subsequent," or "next." It is used to describe a feminine noun and agrees in gender and number. Examples include pagina successiva (the next page), stanza successiva (the next room), and edizione successiva (the subsequent edition).

Grammatical notes: the masculine form is successivo, used with masculine nouns such as numero successivo (the next number) or giorno successivo (the following day). The form successiva is generally not used as a stand-alone noun in everyday language; when referring to “the next one” as a concept, Italian often uses la prossima or il successivo, or a noun phrase such as la voce successiva in a list.

Etymology: successiva derives from Latin successivus, from succedere meaning "to follow after." It shares roots with related Romance-language terms that express sequence or order.

Usage and nuance: successiva is common in formal, technical, or publishing contexts to indicate items that come after a previously mentioned one, with a sense of immediate sequence. It is less about proximity or imminence and more about position within a series. For other nuances of “next,” Italians may choose prossima or seguente depending on register and context.

See also: successivo, seguente, prossimo, successore, ordine.