precursor

American  

[pri-kur-ser, pree-kur-] / prɪˈkɜr sər, ˈpri kɜr- /

noun

1. a person or thing that precedes, as in a job, a method, etc.; predecessor.

   Synonyms:

   forerunner

2. a person, animal, or thing that goes before and indicates the approach of someone or something else; harbinger.

   The first robin is a precursor of spring.

   Synonyms:

   herald

3. Chemistry, Biochemistry. a chemical that is transformed into another compound, as in the course of a chemical reaction, and therefore precedes that compound in the synthetic pathway.

   Cholesterol is a precursor of testosterone.

4. Biology. a cell or tissue that gives rise to a variant, specialized, or more mature form.

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precursor British  

/ prɪˈkɜːsə /

noun

1. a person or thing that precedes and shows or announces someone or something to come; harbinger

2. a predecessor or forerunner

3. a chemical substance that gives rise to another more important substance

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Etymology

Origin of precursor

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin praecursor forerunner. See pre-, cursor

Explanation

You've heard the old saying "Pride comes before the fall?" Well, you could just as easily say pride is a precursor to the fall. A precursor is something that happens before something else. You don't have to be a dead languages scholar to guess that this word springs from a Latin source — praecursor, "to run before." A precursor is usually related to what it precedes. It's a catalyst or a harbinger, leading to what follows or providing a clue that it's going to happen. Binging on holiday candy is a precursor to tummy aches and promises to exercise more. Draconian policies in unstable nations are often a precursor to rebellion.

Example Sentences

“AT&T has been an acquisition machine for decades. It’s been instrumental to their growth,” said Scott Cleland, president of Precursor, a research consultancy.

From Washington Post • May 22, 2021

Satellites such as the European Sentinel-5 Precursor mission can monitor air pollution at a relatively coarse resolution, with pixels that are 3.5 by 7 kilometres.

From Nature • Feb. 11, 2019

More than Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, more than Charles-Francois Daubigny, both of whom also worked in Fontainebleau, Rousseau ranks as perhaps Western art history’s Precursor in Chief.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2016

It would enhance the National Precursor Log Exchange, which tracks pseudoephedrine sales, to issue a stop-sale alert if those felons attempt to buy the medicine.

From Washington Times • Mar. 21, 2016

"In accordance with a solemn duty, I—I proclaim this man to be—" But before he could proceed the Precursor interrupted.

From The Mystics A Novel by Thurston, Katherine Cecil

Related Words

• forerunner
• harbinger