antecedent
antecedent
an∙te∙ced∙ent / ˌæntəˈsidnt ; ˌæntəˈsi:dənt /
◙noun [C]
1. [formal] an event, organization, or thing that is similar to the one you have mentioned but existed earlier
• 先例:
»historical antecedents
历史先例
2. antecedents, [pl.] [formal] the people in your family who lived a long time ago
• 祖先;
【SYN】 ancestors
3. [technical] a word, phrase, or sentence that is represented by another word, for example a PRONOUN
• 先行词，前述词〔由代词等代替的词〕
♦antecedentadj.
