precursor

[ pri-kur-ser, pree-kur- ]

/ prɪˈkɜr sər, ˈpri kɜr- /

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See synonyms for: precursor / precursors on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR precursor

1 forerunner.

2 herald.

See synonyms for precursor on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of precursor

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use precursor in a sentence

The foam, designed to be injected into the navel, is composed of two liquid precursors.
New 'Suspended Animation' Procedure Saves Lives by Replacing Blood with a Cold Electrolyte Solution|Elizabeth Lopatto|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It might actually be that there are no precursors; that nothing like this has happened before.
The Tripwire on Flight 370|Clive Irving|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Feelings of shame and unworthiness are universal precursors to one of two things: an act of destruction and an act of heroism.
Marc Webb Takes Us Inside ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ and Discusses His Rise to the A-List|Marlow Stern|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Events like these are always precursors: they show imminent patterns.
Flight 370 Is Just the Start: Why Asia Isn't Getting Air Safety Right|Clive Irving|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

While a lot more information is needed before investigators can be sure of the cause, there are precursors that suggest a pattern.
Behind the Buffalo Crash|Clive Irving|February 13, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The storm, of which these events were the precursors, at length burst with fury on the Christians in the year 303.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
His precursors had looked upon the Haskala as the most precious treasure, to be preferred to all else in life.
The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century|Leo Wiener
Similarly, totem animals are even more truly the precursors of the later herd, and of agricultural animals.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt
One after another, and by tens and twenties, they fell side by side, companions in death of their brave precursors.
Great Events in the History of North and South America|Charles A. Goodrich
There were in the observatory stone quadrants, the precursors of our mural quadrants.
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2)|John William Draper

British Dictionary definitions for precursor

precursor

/ (prɪˈkɜːsə) /

noun

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

Word Origin for precursor

C16: from Latin praecursor one who runs in front, from praecurrere, from prae in front + currere to run

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

precursor

OTHER WORDS FOR precursor

Origin of precursor

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British Dictionary definitions for precursor

Word Origin for precursor