antecedent
/ˌæntɪˈsiːdnt; ˌæntə`sidnt/ n 1 [C] (fml 文) thing or circumstance that is or comes before another 前事; 前情. 2 [C] (grammar) word or phrase to which a following word, esp a relative pronoun, refers 先行词: `Which proves I'm right' is not clear unless we know the antecedent of `which'. `Which proves I'm right' 意思不清楚, 必须要知道which这一先行词所指为何才行. 3 antecedents [pl] person's ancestors or past life 祖先; 身世; 经历.adj ~ (to sb/sth) (fml 文) previous 先前的.
