Consequence

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒnsɪkwɛns/

Definitions

1. A result or effect that follows from an action, decision, or set of conditions
2. An outcome or effect that arises due to a particular action, choice, or circumstance
3. A result that is directly linked to an action, decision, or event that influences the future

Etymology: The noun "consequence" entered English in Middle English from Old French, which had taken it from the Latin "consequentia," a noun built from "consequens," the present participle of "consequi," meaning "to follow closely" or "to pursue." The Latin verb itself combined "com-" (together, with) and "sequi" (to follow), so the basic image is of one thing following another in a chain. The sense that interests readers most is the one in which the word lost its sense of a logical link. The modern meaning, the result of an action, grew naturally from the idea of something that comes after and follows from what came before. The word's older logical sense, where one statement follows from another, still survives in phrases about things being "of consequence," meaning important, which is a different kind of importance: something that carries weight because of what follows from it.

Synonyms: result, outcome, effect, repercussion, aftermath

Antonyms: cause, reason, origin, source, antecedent