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

Example Sentences

“But you can also start to see what’s happening under the Earth’s surface, whether tunnels are being dug or nuclear materials are being moved around. This is a precursor to developing those types of capabilities.”

From Barron's

But AI is the crucial technological precursor to space development.

From The Wall Street Journal

Shortly after administration, levels of dopamine and its precursor levodopa increased, along with norepinephrine and its metabolite normetanephrine in the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline network.

From Science Daily

Psoriasis causes inflammation in the skin that leads to the formation of specialized immune precursor cells.

From Science Daily

But the composition ultimately came to be seen as a precursor of musical Postmodernism and possibly Bernstein’s greatest work, a monument in its own right.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• forerunner
• harbinger