Procession

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɹəˈsɛʃən/

Definitions

1. A formal and organized movement of people or vehicles in a specific order, usually for a ceremonial event or cultural ritual
2. A coordinated assembly of individuals or vehicles advancing together in a planned sequence, often to mark a special occasion or tribute
3. A ceremonial gathering of individuals or vehicles moving in an orderly fashion to commemorate an event or celebration

Etymology: The sense of "procession" that readers know today, a stately line of people moving in order, is a late extension of something much plainer. Its Latin ancestor "prōcēdere" meant simply to move forward or advance, and the noun "prōcessiō" carried that idea of an advance. Only in Late Latin did it come to name a religious march, which is the sense that passed into the medieval languages of Europe. The word reached English in Middle English as "processioun", borrowed through Old French "pourciession", which had itself been shaped from the Latin. Its English spelling and stress were settled over the centuries that followed, but the core picture stayed the same: a body of people moving forward together. The verb "proceed" comes from the same Latin root, so the two words are close relatives that took different paths, one toward forward motion in general and the other toward ordered ceremony.

Synonyms: parade, march, ceremony, display, pageant