/ ˌæntɪˈsiːdnt; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun
1.
[ C ] ( formal ) a thing or an event that exists or comes before another, and may have influenced it
2.
antecedents [ pl. ] ( formal ) the people in sb's family who lived a long time ago
SYN ancestors
3.
[ C ] ( grammar ) a word or phrase to which the following word, especially a pronoun, refers :
In 'He grabbed the ball and threw it in the air', 'ball' is the antecedent of 'it'.
■ adjective
( formal ) previous :
antecedent events
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French or from Latin antecedent- going before, from antecedere , from ante before + cedere go.