the.com/progression

means A series of things that follow one another in order, each step connected to the last — whether notes in a chord sequence or stages in a plan.

from From Latin progressus, 'a going forward,' built from pro- ('forward') plus gradi ('to step or walk') — the same root that gives us 'grade' and 'gradual.' It entered English through French in the late Middle Ages, first used for literal forward motion before drifting into music, mathematics, and logic — anywhere one step earns the right to the next.