cede [E16th] Cede is from French céder or Latin cedere ‘to yield, give way, go’. Cedere is a rich source of English words including abscess [M16th] ‘going away’ (of the infection when it bursts); access [ME] ‘go to’; ancestor [ME] someone who went ante ‘before’; antecedent [LME] from the same base as ancestor; cease [ME]; concede [LME] to give way completely; decease [ME] ‘go away’; exceed [LME] to go beyond a boundary; intercede [L16th] go between; predecessor [LME] one who went away before; proceed [LME] to go forward; recede [LME] ‘go back’; and succeed [LME] ‘come close after’.