antecedent
noun
[ ˌantɪˈsiːd(ə)nt ]
• a thing that existed before or logically precedes another.
• "some antecedents to the African novel might exist in Africa's oral traditions"
• a person's ancestors or family and social background.
• "her early life and antecedents have been traced"
Similar:
ancestor,
forefather,
forebear,
predecessor,
progenitor,
family,
family tree,
stock,
ancestry,
descent,
genealogy,
roots,
extraction,
birth,
history,
past,
background,
record,
filiation,
stirps,
• an earlier word, phrase, or clause to which another word (especially a following relative pronoun) refers back.
• the statement contained in the ‘if’ clause of a conditional proposition.
antecedent
adjective
• preceding in time or order; previous or pre-existing.
• "antecedent events"
• denoting or counting as an antecedent.
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French or from Latin antecedent- ‘going before’, from antecedere, from ante ‘before’ + cedere ‘go’.
