consequential
Meaning
Important; significant
Following as a result or effect
Structure
Usage
The drought and the consequential crop failure led to widespread famine.
She made a consequential decision that changed the course of her career.
He discussed the report and its consequential recommendations with the board.
Etymology
The word 'consequential' is built upon the Latin verb sequi, meaning "to follow". The prefix con- intensifies this to imply following closely or as a necessary outcome. The suffix -entia forms nouns of state, and -alis turns them into adjectives, creating a term that literally means "pertaining to that which follows". Over time, the meaning evolved from the simple sense of "following in sequence" to emphasize the importance of what follows, hence its dual modern meanings of "resulting" and "significant".
Analysis
- con: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "together, with". - sequ: Latin origin, from the root sequ- meaning "to follow". - ential: Latin origin, an adjectival suffix derived from -entia (denoting state or quality) + -alis (pertaining to).