precursory
Americanadjective
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of the nature of a precursor; preliminary; introductory.
precursory remarks.
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indicative of something to follow.
precursory indications of disease.
adjective
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serving as a precursor
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preliminary or introductory
Etymology
Origin of precursory
From the Latin word praecursōrius, dating back to 1590–1600. See precursor, cursory
Explanation
Anything that's precursory comes before something else, often in an ominous or inauspicious way, like a precursory rumble that proceeds the eruption of a volcano. While some synonyms of precursory include preliminary and introductory, it's most common to use this adjective with a certain threatening sense of warning. So you might describe the precursory growl of a tiger just before it attacks, or the precursory stillness in advance of a tornado's descent. Precursory comes from Latin roots, prae, or "before," and currere, "to run."
Vocabulary lists containing precursory
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Any precursory comparisons to “Hamilton” are understandable, given that both stage musicals focus on an outspoken writer, a pivotal president and a years-long war that determined the country’s future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2025
"There are some cases where there are dramatic and very distinctive precursory seismic signals that precede a catastrophic landslide, sometimes by as much as days," Highman noted.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2024
“It doesn’t give you a precursory, predictive ability because it’s a statement of how you’ve summed it rather than what’s going on at a particular earthquake,” she adds.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 20, 2023
Not only does immobile magma stay silent, but the molten mass was already so close to the surface that should the flank have broken apart, it would have immediately erupted without the usual precursory clamor.
From New York Times ● Sep. 2, 2022
I have," she remarked, with a precursory smile, "stuck to the metre and written two stanzas.
From Hung Lou Meng, Book II Or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel in Two Books by H. Bencraft Joly
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
