The word 'success' entered English in the mid-16th century from Latin 'successus', the past participle of 'succedere', meaning 'to come close after, to go up to, to follow after'. The Latin verb is composed of 'sub-' (meaning 'up from under, close to') and 'cedere' (meaning 'to go'). The original sense was 'a good or prosperous outcome', which evolved from the literal idea of a favorable sequence of events 'coming after' or 'following up' an endeavor. Over time, the meaning narrowed and intensified to specifically denote the accomplishment of an aim or the attainment of wealth and recognition, shifting from the process of following to the positive result itself.

Structure: suc + cess suc- (Latin origin, variant of 'sub-', meaning 'up from under, close to'), -cess (Latin origin, from 'cedere', meaning 'to go, move, yield').