precursors
|pre-cur-sors|
🇺🇸
/prɪˈkɝsərz/
🇬🇧
/prɪˈkɜːsəz/
(precursor)
forerunner
Etymology
'precursor' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'praecursor', where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'currere' meant 'to run'.
'precursor' entered English via Late Latin 'praecursor' and Old French (Middle French) 'précurseur', and through Medieval/early modern usage became the modern English 'precursor'.
Initially it meant 'one who runs before' (literally a messenger or runner ahead), but over time it evolved into the broader sense 'a forerunner or predecessor' and specialized uses such as a 'chemical precursor'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
something or someone that comes before and indicates the approach of something else; a forerunner or harbinger.
Rising commodity prices were seen as precursors to inflation.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
an earlier form or predecessor in development (someone or something that precedes another in time or order).
Many features of the modern smartphone had precursors in earlier handheld devices.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 3
a chemical or biological substance from which another is formed; a substance that participates in a transformation to produce something else.
In the lab, the researchers used several precursors to synthesize the target molecule.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/02 02:35