ANTECEDENT

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin ~-, antecedens, from Latin, what precedes, from neuter of ~-, antecedens, present participle of antecedere to go before, from ante- + cedere to go Date: 14th century a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun (as John in “Mary saw John and called to him”), the conditional element in a proposition (as if A in “if A, then B”), the first term of a mathematical ratio, 4. a preceding event, condition, or cause, the significant events, conditions, and traits of one's earlier life, 5. predecessor , ancestors, parents, II. adjective Date: 14th century prior , see: preceding ~ly adverb