antecessor
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of antecessor
1375–1425; late Middle English antecessour (< Middle French ) < Latin antecessor he who goes before, a predecessor, equivalent to anteced-, variant stem of antecēdere ( see antecede) + -tor -tor; cf. ancestor
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.
Some traits resemble hominins from Gran Dolina in Atapuerca, often referred to as Homo antecessor, raising the possibility of very early population connections between north-west Africa and southern Europe.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2026
Patterns of bone-breakage in Homo antecessor, considered the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, suggest that cannibalism goes back a half-million years or more.
From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2023
They said it’s possible the items were produced by Homo antecessor, the hominin species dating from that period in other parts of Europe.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
He notes the analysis by Hublin and his colleagues did not compare the Jebel Irhoud remains with fossils from Spain dating to more than 800,000 years ago that belong to a species called H. antecessor.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 8, 2017
It is unfortunate that we know so little about Thomas Arden, Mary Shakespeare's "antecessor."
From Shakespeare's Family by C. C. (Charlotte Carmichael) Stopes
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