succession

n. progression, sequence, series; order in which one person takes the place of another; process through which an individual takes on the position or property of another

Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. (It is not to be confused with secession, the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or political entity.)
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Noun
1. a following of one thing after another in time; "the doctor saw a sequence of patients"
(synonym) sequence, chronological sequence, successiveness, chronological succession
(hypernym) temporal arrangement, temporal order
(hyponym) rain, pelting
(derivation) succeed, come after, follow
2. a group of people or things arranged or following in order; "a succession of stalls offering soft drinks"; "a succession of failures"
(hypernym) series
(hyponym) cascade
3. the action of following in order; "he played the trumps in sequence"
(synonym) sequence
(hypernym) order, ordering
(hyponym) alternation
(derivation) succeed, come after, follow
4. (ecology) the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established
(synonym) ecological succession
(hypernym) natural process, natural action, action, activity
(classification) ecology, bionomics, environmental science
5. acquisition of property by descent or by will
(synonym) taking over
(hypernym) acquisition

n. succession, inheritance; sequence, series

(n.)
The right to enter upon the possession of the property of an ancestor, or one near of kin, or one preceding in an established order.
  

(n.)
The power or right of succeeding to the station or title of a father or other predecessor; the right to enter upon the office, rank, position, etc., held ny another; also, the entrance into the office, station, or rank of a predecessor; specifically, the succeeding, or right of succeeding, to a throne.
  

(n.)
The person succeeding to rank or office; a successor or heir.
  

(n.)
The act of succeeding, or following after; a following of things in order of time or place, or a series of things so following; sequence; as, a succession of good crops; a succession of disasters.
  

(n.)
An order or series of descendants; lineage; race; descent.
  

(n.)
A series of persons or things according to some established rule of precedence; as, a succession of kings, or of bishops; a succession of events in chronology.