pre ‧ de ‧ ces ‧ sor /ˈpriːdəsesə, ˈpriːdɪsesə $ ˈpredəsesər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: prédécesseur , from Late Latin , from Latin decedere 'to go away, leave your job' ]
1 . someone who had your job before you started doing it OPP successor :
Kennedy’s predecessor as President was the war hero Dwight Eisenhower.
2 . a machine, system etc that existed before another one in a process of development OPP successor :
The new BMW has a more powerful engine than its predecessor.