precursor
noun/priˈkɜːsə(r)/
/priˈkɜːrsər/
(formal)- precursor (of/to something) a person or thing that comes before somebody/something similar and that leads to or influences its development synonym forerunner
- a stringed instrument that was the precursor of the guitar
- events that were precursors to revolution
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin praecursor, from praecurs- ‘preceded’, from praecurrere, from prae ‘beforehand’ + currere ‘to run’.Definitions on the go
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precursor