progression

[ pruh-gresh-uhn ]

noun

1. the act of progressing; forward or onward movement.
2. a passing successively from one member of a series to the next; succession; sequence.
3. Mathematics. a succession of quantities in which there is a constant relation between each member and the one succeeding it. Compare arithmetic progression, geometric progression, harmonic progression.
4. Music. the manner in which chords or melodic tones follow one another; a succession of chords or tones.
5. Astrology. any of a variety of methods of comparing the natal chart to subsequent planetary positions in order to establish an optimum time to accomplish things or to establish the probable time an event occurred or will occur.

progression

/ prəˈɡrɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of progressing; advancement
2. the act or an instance of moving from one thing or unit in a sequence to the next
3. maths a sequence of numbers in which each term differs from the succeeding term by a constant relation See also arithmetic progression geometric progression harmonic progression
4. music movement, esp of a logical kind, from one note to the next ( melodic progression ) or from one chord to the next ( harmonic progression )
5. astrology one of several calculations, based on the movement of the planets, from which it is supposed that one can find the expected developments in a person's birth chart and the probable trends of circumstances for a year in his life

Derived Forms

• proˈgressional, adjective
• proˈgressionally, adverb

Other Words From

• pro·gression·al adjective
• pro·gression·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of progression¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prōgressiōn-, stem of prōgressiō “advancement, forward movement”; equivalent to progress + -ion

Example Sentences

"PNA5 seems to have a possibility of stopping or delaying Parkinson's progression to some extent and could improve the health of brain cells or prevent cells from dying," Madhavan said.

From Science Daily

But six Nations League games later, Scotland have shown visible signs of progression against higher-ranked opposition and the feelgood factor has been restored among the Tartan Army.

From BBC

"We need to make sure we are tackling those long-term issues in the workforce, with progression opportunities, properly paid and properly negotiated on a collective basis," she added.

From BBC

With this technique, they determined that 38 proteins are likely to have causal effects in Alzheimer's progression; 15 of these can be targeted by medicines.

From Science Daily

"I think it is a great progression and keeps the alignment in-between the pathway and the seniors," Titterrell said.

From BBC

Related Words

• advancement
• breakthrough
• evolution