antecedent

adj. preceding, prior, previous, earlier

n. something which precedes; noun phrase referred to by a personal pronoun (Grammar)

An antecedent is a preceding event, condition, cause, phrase, or word.Antecedent moisture is a hydrologic term describing the relative wetness condition of a sewershed.In logic, an antecedent is the first half of a hypothetical proposition.In grammar, an antecedent is the word to which a pronoun refers.A musical phrase (music) may be an antecedent or consequent phrase.In criminal cases, antecedents are the life history and previous convictions of a defendant.In behavioral research, an antecedent stimulus elicits a learned response from an organism.In drama and literature, the antecedent action is what occurs prior to the opening of a play or story.
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Noun
1. someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
(synonym) ancestor, ascendant, ascendent, root
(hypernym) relative, relation
(hyponym) ancestress
2. a preceding occurrence or cause or event
(hypernym) cause
(derivation) predate, precede, forego, antecede, antedate
3. anything that precedes something similar in time; "phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience"
(synonym) forerunner
(hypernym) temporal relation
4. the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun
(hypernym) referent
Adjective
1. preceding in time or order
(synonym) preceding
(antonym) subsequent
(similar) anterior, prior(a)
(see-also) preceding(a)

adj. antecedent

n. antecedents

n. antecedent, precedent; noun phrase referred to by a personal pronoun (Grammar)