Se"quence (sē"kwens), n. [F. séquence, L. sequentia, fr. sequens. See Sequent.]
1. The state of being sequent; succession; order of following; arrangement.
How art thou
a king
But by fair
sequence and succession?
Shak.
Sequence and series of
the seasons of the year.
Bacon. 2. That which follows or succeeds as an
effect; sequel; consequence; result.
The inevitable
sequences of sin and punishment.
Bp. Hall. 3.
(Philos.) Simple succession, or the coming after in time, without asserting or implying causative energy; as, the reactions of chemical agents may be conceived as merely invariable
sequences.
4. (Mus.) (a) Any succession of chords (or harmonic phrase) rising or falling by the regular diatonic degrees in the same scale; a succession of similar harmonic
steps. (b) A melodic phrase or passage successively
repeated one tone higher; a rosalia.
5. (R.C.Ch.) A hymn introduced in the Mass on certain festival days, and recited or sung immediately before the gospel, and after the gradual or introit, whence the name. Bp.
Fitzpatrick.
Originally
the sequence was called a Prose, because its early form was rhythmical prose.
Shipley.
6. (Card Playing) (a)
(Whist) Three or more cards of
the same suit in immediately consecutive order of value; as,
ace, king, and queen; or
knave, ten, nine, and eight. (b)
(Poker) All five cards, of a
hand, in consecutive order as to value, but not necessarily of the same suit; when of
one suit, it
is called a sequence flush.
Hear it pronounced