/ ˈpresɪdənt; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C , U ] an official action or decision that has happened in the past and that is seen as an example or a rule to be followed in a similar situation later :
The ruling set a precedent for future libel cases.
2.
[ C , U ] a similar action or event that happened earlier :
historical precedents
There is no precedent for a disaster of this scale.
Such protests are without precedent in recent history.
3.
[ U ] the way that things have always been done
SYN tradition :
to break with precedent (= to do sth in a different way)
—see also unprecedented
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French , literally preceding .