Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “successful” come from?

Successful derives from English success, from Latin successus, from Latin succedere meaning to go under or follow, from Latin cedo meaning to go, tracing to Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning to fill.

successful (English): Resulting in success; assuring, or promoting,...

Definitions

  1. Resulting in success; assuring, or promoting,...

Ancestry of “successful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsuccessThe achievement of one's aim or goal; Financial...
2Italiansuccesso—
3Latinsuccessuscourse, flow , approach, outcome, success;...
4Latinsuccēdere—
5Latinsubunder, beneath; behind; at the feet of
6Proto-Italicsupo—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “successful”

  • successfully
  • unsuccessful
  • unsuccessfully
  • successfulness
  • unsuccessfulness
  • supersuccessful
  • nonsuccessful
  • megasuccessful
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →