pre ‧ cur ‧ sor /prɪˈkɜːsə $ -ˈkɜːrsər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: praecursor , from praecurrere 'to run in front' ]
formal something that happened or existed before something else and influenced its development
precursor of/to
a precursor of modern jazz