Proceed

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pɹəˈsiːd/

Definitions

1. To begin or continue an action or course of events; to move forward or onward; to carry on with a process or activity
2. To start or advance in a task or process; to go ahead after a pause or interruption; to move along in a forward direction
3. To resume or initiate an endeavor; to travel or progress forward; to persist in conducting something already underway

Etymology: "Proceed" is a compound from Latin "prōcēdō," meaning "to go forth, go forward, advance," built from "prō," meaning "forth," and "cēdō," meaning "to go." The same "cēdō" sits behind "cede," which is why the two verbs share a family resemblance: both carry the idea of moving from one place or state to another, one by yielding ground and the other by stepping ahead. English took the word in through Middle English "proceden," which came from Old French "proceder." Its core sense of moving forward has stayed almost unchanged across those centuries, which is what makes the Latin building blocks so easy to read in the modern verb: to proceed is literally to go forth.

Synonyms: continue, advance, move forward, progress, go on

Antonyms: stop, halt, cease, discontinue, pause