suc·ceed /sək-'sēd/ vi
1: to come next after another in office or position
2 a: to take something by succession
succeed ed to his mother's estate
b: to acquire the rights, obligations, and charges of a decedent in property comprising an estate
the heir, who accepts, is considered as having succeed ed to the deceased from the moment of his death — Louisiana Civil Code
vt
1: to follow in sequence and esp. immediately
2: to come after as heir or successor
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.