precursor
a person or thing that precedes, as in a job, a method, etc.; predecessor.
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.
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.
Biology. a cell or tissue that gives rise to a variant, specialized, or more mature form.
Origin of precursor
1Other words for precursor
Words Nearby precursor
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use precursor in a sentence
Not only do they come from myriad sources—asphalt is a big one, but paints and other products also release the precursor compounds to pollutants—but the chemical reactions that create these secondary compounds are also complex.
Continuously monitoring these types of carbon dioxide emissions in the Apennines and other seismically active regions, such as California and Japan, could reveal whether uprising gas is a precursor or product of quakes, he says.
Carbon dioxide from Earth’s mantle may trigger some Italian earthquakes | Maria Temming | August 26, 2020 | Science NewsSAC is also working on ways to verify the self-reported data behind the scores, as a precursor to making some of the data public next year.
A greener and more compassionate apparel industry | Tate Ryan-Mosley | August 19, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewMonkeys’ greater difficulty learning recursive sequences, relative to people, fits a scenario in which “this ability is evolutionarily ancient and could have been a precursor to the development of human grammar,” Ferrigno says.
Monkeys may share a key grammar-related skill with humans | Bruce Bower | June 26, 2020 | Science NewsPreserving some of the stylized features of its heavy precursor, the lighter Chalcidian helmet was also imbued with practical design upgrades that allowed its wearer to have better hearing and relatively unimpeded vision.
Know Your Ancient Greek Helmets: From Attic to Phrygian | Dattatreya Mandal | May 19, 2020 | Realm of History
That convention, though poorly attended, was the precursor to the Constitutional Convention.
Postol and Lloyd were skeptical; hexamine is a common precursor chemical for military-grade explosives.
The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling for Assad | Noah Shachtman, Michael Kennedy | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt includes a quote from Ehud Olmert, the interim Prime Minister of Israel in 2003, as a precursor to gameplay.
The clearest precursor of this scenario was Helios Airways Flight 522 flying from Cyprus to Athens in August 2005.
Previous drugs targeting amyloid precursor protein, or APP, have failed.
Trial Drug Reverses Alzheimer’s Disease in Mice | Elizabeth Lopatto | May 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut this by no means exhausts the benefits derived from it, draining being merely the precursor of further improvement.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas AndersonAt the moment when they disappeared in the forest, the owl uttered its matutinal cry, the precursor of sunrise.
The Border Rifles | Gustave AimardFor this purpose, he said, the "precursor Society" had been established, and was now in progress of enrolment.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. NolanThere was still, however, an under-current of agitation: in fact, the late event was but the precursor to a more furious storm.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. NolanMr. O'Connell was indefatigable in stirring up his precursor Society and other similar machines of agitation.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
British Dictionary definitions for precursor
/ (prɪˈkɜːsə) /
a person or thing that precedes and shows or announces someone or something to come; harbinger
a predecessor or forerunner
a chemical substance that gives rise to another more important substance
Origin of precursor
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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