ANTECEDENT

Definition of ANTECEDENT

  1. (noun)someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
  2. (noun)a preceding occurrence or cause or event
  3. (noun)anything that precedes something similar in time
  4. (noun)the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun
  5. (adj)preceding in time or order