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Adjective: antecedent  ,an-ti'see-d(u)nt
  1. Preceding in time or order
Noun: antecedent  ,an-ti'see-d(u)nt
  1. Someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
    - ancestor, ascendant, ascendent, root
     
  2. A preceding occurrence, cause or event
     
  3. Anything that precedes something similar in time
    "phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience";
    - forerunner
     
  4. The referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun

Derived forms: antecedents

See also: anterior, anticipatory, preceding, preexistent, pre-existent, preexisting, pre-existing, prevenient, prior

Type of: cause, flesh and blood, referent, relation, relative, temporal relation

Antonym: subsequent

Encyclopedia: Antecedent