antecedent

Noun · Adjective
US[an-tes-uh-duhnt]/ˌænˈtɛsədənt/4 syllablesalso [an-tih-see-duhnt] /ˌæntɪˈsidənt/
Synonyms: ancestorascendantascendentrootforerunner

Open English WordNet

Noun (4)

  1. someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)Synonyms: ancestorascendantascendentrootType of relative, relationKinds forefather, progenitor, ancestress, foremother, forebear
  2. a preceding occurrence or cause or eventType of cause
  3. anything that precedes something similar in time“phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience”Synonyms: forerunnerType of temporal relation
  4. the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronounType of referent

Adjective (1)

  1. preceding in time or orderOpposite subsequentSimilar anterior, preexistent, anticipatorySee also preceding

Related words predate verb, ascendant noun, antecedence noun, priority noun

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

An′te·ced′ent (…), adjective

Origin: L. antecedens, -entis, p. pr. of antecedere: cf. F. antécédent.

1. Going before in time; prior; anterior; preceding; as, an event antecedent to the Deluge; an antecedent cause.

2. Presumptive; as, an antecedent improbability.

Synonyms: Prior; previous; foregoing.

An′te·ced′ent noun

Origin: Cf. F. antécédent.

1. That which goes before in time; that which precedes. Robert South

The Homeric mythology, as well as the Homeric language, has surely its antecedents.— Max Miller.

2. One who precedes or goes in front. obsolete

My antecedent, or my gentleman usher.— Philip Massinger

3. pl. The earlier events of one's life; previous principles, conduct, course, history. Cardinal John Henry Newman

If the troops... prove worthy of their antecedents, the victory is surely ours.— Gen. G. McClellan.

4. Grammar The noun to which a relative refers; as, in the sentence “Solomon was the prince who built the temple,” prince is the antecedent of who.

5. Logic (a) The first or conditional part of a hypothetical proposition; as, If the earth is fixed, the sun must move. (b) The first of the two propositions which constitute an enthymeme or contracted syllogism; as, Every man is mortal; therefore the king must die.

6. Mathematics The first of the two terms of a ratio; the first or third of the four terms of a proportion. In the ratio a:b, a is the antecedent, and b the consequent.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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