sequor

Latin

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Italic *sekʷōr, from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”). Cognates include Sanskrit सचते (sácate), Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬗𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬉 (hacaitē) and Ancient Greek ἕπομαι (hépomai).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈse.kʷor/, [ˈs̠ɛkʷɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈse.kwor/, [ˈsɛːkwor]

Verb

sequor (present infinitive sequī, perfect active secūtus sum or sequūtus sum); third conjugation, deponent

1. (with accusative) to follow, to come or go after, to pursue

   Synonyms: persequor, cōnsequor, īnsequor, īnsector, continuō, excipiō, exsequor, agō, premō, īnstō

   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 3.188:

     Cēdāmus Phoebō et monitī meliōra sequāmur.

     Let us yield to Phoebus, and having been warned follow better things.

   • 8 CE, Ovid, Metamorphoses 7.20:

     Video meliora proboque, deteriora sequor.

     I see, and I desire the better: I follow the worse.

   • 234 BCE – 149 BCE, Cato the Elder :

     Rem tene, verba sequentur.

     Grasp the subject, the words will follow.

2. to accede to, to conform to
3. to attend, accompany

   Synonyms: comitō, exsequor, cōnsequor

4. to succeed (i.e., follow in position)

   Synonyms: subeō, succēdō, excipiō

5. (logic, third person) to follow, ensue

Usage notes

The verb dūcere is used for "to be followed," effectively giving dūcere two passives, this verb being one of them.

In later Latin, an active voice was invented for "to follow," leading to the passive forms being relegated to "to be followed."

Conjugation

   Conjugation of sequor (third conjugation, deponent)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	sequor		sequeris, sequere		sequitur		sequimur		sequiminī		sequuntur
	imperfect	sequēbar		sequēbāris, sequēbāre		sequēbātur		sequēbāmur		sequēbāminī		sequēbantur
	future	sequar		sequēris, sequēre		sequētur		sequēmur		sequēminī		sequentur
	perfect	secūtus or sequūtus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	secūtus or sequūtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	secūtus or sequūtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	sequar		sequāris, sequāre		sequātur		sequāmur		sequāminī		sequantur
	imperfect	sequerer		sequerēris, sequerēre		sequerētur		sequerēmur		sequerēminī		sequerentur
	perfect	secūtus or sequūtus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	secūtus or sequūtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		sequere		—		—		sequiminī		—
	future	—		sequitor		sequitor		—		—		sequuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		sequī			—			sequēns			—
future		secūtūrum esse, sequūtūrum esse			—			secūtūrus, sequūtūrus			sequendus
perfect		secūtum esse, sequūtum esse			—			secūtus, sequūtus			—
future perfect		secūtum fore, sequūtum fore			—			—			—
perfect potential		secūtūrum fuisse, sequūtūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		sequendī		sequendō		sequendum		sequendō		secūtum, sequūtum		secūtū, sequūtū

Derived terms

• assequor
• cōnsequor
• exsequor
• īnsequor
• nōn sequitur
• obsequor
• persequor
• prōsequor
• resequor
• sector
• secundus
• secūtor
• sequāx
• sequēla
• sequēns
• sequester
• subsequor

Related terms

• secus
• socius

Descendants

• Catalan: seguir
• Franco-Provençal: siuvre
• Old French: segre, siure, sivre, siudre; suiant, sivant; sieute, suite
  • Bourguignon: seugre
  • Gallo: sieude
  • → Middle English: suant, suit
    • English: sue; suant; suit
  • Middle French: suyvre
    • French: suivre; suite
      • → English: suite
  • Picard: suire
  • Norman: sieuvre, suuvre
  • Walloon: shuve
• Italian: seguire
  • → English: segue
• Occitan: seguir, sègre
• Old Galician-Portuguese: seguir
  • Galician: seguir
  • Portuguese: seguir
    • → Papiamentu: sigui
• Sardinian: sichire
• Sicilian: sicutari (from *sequitare)
• Spanish: seguir
• → Esperanto: sekvi

Further reading

• “sequor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “sequor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• sequor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to follow in any one's steps: vestigia alicuius sequi, persequi or vestigiis aliquem sequi, persequi
    
  • to court a person's favour; to ingratiate oneself with..: gratiam alicuius sibi quaerere, sequi, more strongly aucupari
    
  • to be a lover of ease, leisure: otium sequi, amplexari
    
  • to adopt some one's opinion: ad alicuius sententiam accedere, sententiam alicuius sequi
    
  • to try to conjecture probabilities: probabilia coniectura sequi
    
  • my intention is..: id sequor, ut
    
  • to be guided by another's example: auctoritatem alicuius sequi
    
  • to be a follower, disciple of some one: sectam alicuius sequi (Brut. 31. 120)
    
  • it follows from this that..: sequitur (not ex quo seq.) ut
    
  • to hold by the letter (of the law): verba ac litteras or scriptum (legis) sequi (opp. sententia the spirit)
    
  • to strive to attain virtue: virtutem sequi, virtutis studiosum esse
    
  • to follow fixed principles of conduct: certas rationes in agendo sequi
    
  • to embrace the cause of..., be a partisan of..: alicuius partes (causam) or simply aliquem sequi
    
  • to be neutral: neutram partem sequi
    
  • to follow the standards: signa sequi (opp. a signis discedere, signa relinquere)