antecedent

Definitions

1. 1adjective

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

2. 2adjective

   Presumptive; as, an antecedent improbability.

3. 3noun

   That which goes before in time; that which precedes.

4. 4noun

   One who precedes or goes in front.

5. 5noun

   The earlier events of one's life; previous principles, conduct, course, history.

6. 6noun

   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.

7. 7noun

   The first or conditional part of a hypothetical proposition; as, If the earth is fixed, the sun must move.

8. 8noun

   The first of the two propositions which constitute an enthymeme or contracted syllogism; as, Every man is mortal; therefore the king must die.

9. 9noun

   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.

10. 10noun

    the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun

11. 11noun

    a preceding occurrence or cause or event

12. 12noun

    someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)

    Synonyms

    ancestorascendantascendentroot
13. 13noun

    anything that precedes something similar in time

    "phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience"

    Synonyms

    forerunner
14. 14adjective

    preceding in time or order