procession

[ pruh-sesh-uhn ]

noun

1. the act of moving along or proceeding proceeding in orderly succession or in a formal and ceremonious manner, as a line of people, animals, vehicles, etc.
2. the line or body of persons or things moving along in such a manner.
3. Ecclesiastical. an office, litany, etc., said or sung in a religious procession.
4. Theology. the emanation of the Holy Spirit from the Father and later, in the Western Church, from the Son: distinguished from the “generation” of the Son and the “unbegottenness” of the Father.
5. the act of coming forth from a source.

verb (used without object)

1. to go in procession.

procession

/ prəˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of proceeding in a regular formation
2. a group of people or things moving forwards in an orderly, regular, or ceremonial manner
3. a hymn, litany, etc, sung in a procession
4. Christianity the emanation of the Holy Spirit

verb

1. rare.
   intr to go in procession

Word History and Origins

Origin of procession¹

before 1150; early Middle English (< Old French ) < Late Latin prōcessiōn- (stem of prōcessiō ) a religious procession, literally, a marching on. See process, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of procession¹

C12: via Old French from Latin prōcessiō a marching forwards

Example Sentences

The airport's closure was not due to bad weather or a technical glitch, as one might assume, but to make way for a Hindu temple procession that marches right across its runway.

From BBC

Mr Smith, a British Steel plant operator, shouts to others to get the banners to the front of the procession, before continuing: "If we lose the works, we lose the beating heart of Scunthorpe."

From BBC

On the day in February that Yarden Bibas buried them with their mother, after their bodies were returned, thousands of Israelis turned out along the route of the funeral procession to pay their last respects.

From BBC

The plan had been for them to take their seats earlier, and for Elizabeth II to lead a small procession of senior royals into the Abbey slightly later.

From BBC

His funeral procession included a World War II Willys Jeep escort and a military aircraft flew over the Harris home in Compton, where he lived for more than 60 years.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cortege
• motorcade
• succession

More About Procession

What does procession mean?

A procession is a line of people or vehicles moving along in an orderly and often ceremonial way.

A very common example is a funeral procession, which is the line of cars or people traveling together to a burial. A parade is another kind of procession.

Procession is the noun form of the verb process, meaning to proceed in or as if in a procession.

Example: The procession was so long that they had to block traffic so it could stay together.

Where does procession come from?

The first records of the word procession come from the 1100s. It comes from the Latin word prōcessiōn-, which refers to a religious procession and literally means “a marching on” or “a marching forward.” The verb process is in fact a back formation of procession—which means the word procession came first and the verb process formed from it.

Processions are usually at least somewhat formal, and they’re often seen at religious or other ceremonial gatherings. At graduations, students and faculty members often enter in a long procession. Similar processions are seen during religious ceremonies or events like weddings. Funeral processions allow mourners to stay together so that they can arrive at the burial site or other ceremony at the same time.

A fancy name for a ceremonial procession is cortege.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to procession?

• process (verb)
• processional (noun)
• processionary (adjective)

What are some synonyms for procession?

• parade
• motorcade
• cortege
• march

What are some words that share a root or word element with procession? 

 

• process
• recession

What are some words that often get used in discussing procession?

 

• funeral
• parade
• church
• line
• file
• movement
• ceremony

How is procession used in real life?

Procession is perhaps most commonly used in the phrase funeral procession. It usually refers to something that’s formal and ceremonial.

REST IN PEACE, OFFICER GRANT: A police funeral procession is traveling across Springdale to Vineyard Church where Officer Kaia Grant will be laid to rest. https://t.co/5VCbDdOutx pic.twitter.com/mHZK9N00IH

— WLWT (@WLWT) March 29, 2020

FDR's funeral procession in front of White House, 75 years ago today: #Getty pic.twitter.com/TFSc01HORE

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) April 14, 2020

Tonight's mourning parade. Her family drove their cars in procession behind the funeral van carrying her casket, and friends waited on sidewalks to wave and cheer. The last vehicle in the cortege was a pick-up, and friends were able to place flowers, cards, etc in the truck bed. pic.twitter.com/1soZ6k2mm5

— Elizabeth Fournier (@elizfournier) May 18, 2020

 

 

Try using procession!

At which of the following events might there be a procession?

A. funeral
B. wedding
C. graduation
D. all of the above