Ensue

/ɛnˈsu/ verb

Definition

To happen or occur afterward, especially as a result of something else.

Etymology

From Old French 'ensuir' meaning to follow, from Latin 'insequi' meaning to follow after. The word has maintained its meaning of sequence for over 500 years.

Kelly Says

Ensue appears constantly in news reports ('violence ensued') because it's a formal way to link cause and effect—it sounds inevitable, as if what follows had to happen, which gives reporters a way to suggest causation without quite saying it.

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