Sequence and succession apply to events viewed as following one another; time and duration denote something conceived of as enduring while events take place and acts are done. According to the necessary conditions of human thought, events are contained in time as objects are in space, time existing before the event, measuring it as it passes, and still existing when the event is past. Duration and succession are more general words than time; we can speak of infinite or eternal duration or succession, but time is commonly contrasted with eternity. Time is measured or measurable duration.
TIP.
Synonyms:
| cant, | dip, | incline, | list, | slope, |
| careen, | heel over, | lean, | slant, | tilt. |
To tilt or tip is to throw out of a horizontal position by raising one side or end or lowering the other; the words are closely similar, but tilt suggests more of fluctuation or instability. Slant and slope are said of things somewhat fixed or permanent in a position out of the horizontal or perpendicular; the roof slants, the hill slopes. Incline is a more formal word for tip, and also for slant or slope. To cant is to set slantingly; in many cases tip and cant might be interchanged, but tip is more temporary, often momentary; one tips a pail so that the water flows over the edge; a mechanic cants a table by making or setting one side higher than the other. A vessel careens in the wind; lists, usually, from shifting of cargo, from water in the hold, etc. Careening is always toward one side or the other; listing may be forward or astern as well. To heel over is the same as to careen, and must be distinguished from "keel over," which is to capsize.