antecedent
Any thing that precedes another thing, especially the cause of the second thingAny thing that precedes another thing, especially the cause of the second thing.
Recorded UK: Speaker: Soundguys Recorder: Soundguys, CC0, Wikimedia Commons · Recorded US: K6ka, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
» Alchemy was the antecedent of chemistry.
Miktsoanit · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRTranslations
6 languagesBy meaning 3
Examples
4 sentencesAlchemy was the antecedent of chemistry.
What do you know about the antecedents of the war?
If we alter the construction of such sentences, the missing antecedent is often restored.
Meaning
7 sensesAny thing that precedes another thing, especially the cause of the second thing.
Vorgeschichte, Ursache, Vorleben
A word, phrase or clause referred to by a pronoun or other pro-form.
Beziehungswort, Bezugselement, Antezedens
the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun
The conditional part of a hypothetical proposition, i.e. p→q, where p is the antecedent, and q is the consequent.
Antezedens
More meanings 4
An ancestor.
Ahne, Vorläufer, Vorfahre
(in the plural)Previous principles, conduct, history, etc.
The first of two subsets of a sequent, consisting of all the sequent's formulae which are valuated as true.
The first term of a ratio, i.e. the term a in the ratio a:b, the other being the consequent.
Origin
From Middle English antecedent, borrowed from Old French antecedent, from Latin antecēdēnsFrom Middle English antecedent, borrowed from Old French antecedent, from Latin antecēdēns (“going before”), from antecēdō (“to precede; excel; surpass”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: antecedents| Singular | antecedent |
|---|---|
| Plural | antecedents |
regular
Synonyms
11 synonyms- someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent):ancestorascendantascendentroot
- anything that precedes something similar in time:forerunner
Antonyms
3 antonymsWord family
2 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.