Main entry: antecedent
Definition: the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun
Main entry: antecedent
Definition: a preceding occurrence or cause or event
Main entry: ancestor, antecedent, ascendant, ascendent, root
Definition: someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
Main entry: antecedent, forerunner
Definition: anything that precedes something similar in time
Usage: phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience
Main entry: antecedent
Definition: preceding in time or order