Precursor
A person or thing that comes before something else and signals or leads to that later development; a forerunner.
nounPrecursor
A person or thing that comes before something else and signals or leads to that later development; a forerunner.
nounImagine This
Imagine a lone scout ahead of a marching army. The scout's footprints are the precursor, signaling that the rest of the army will soon advance.
Sounds Like
PREE-kur-sor
Looks Like
pre-cursor (a runner before), visually suggesting 'before + runner'
Remember This
Precursor literally implies something that comes before and foreshadows what follows; related words include 'predecessor' and 'harbinger'.
Other Forms
Connect With
forerunner, harbinger, foreshadow, omen, antecedent, predecessor
Note
Use 'precursor to' or 'precursor of' to indicate what leads to a future development. Do not confuse with 'predecessor,' which refers to a person who came before, often in a position or office.
Study Deeper
- The discovery of penicillin was a precursor to modern antibiotics.
- Dark clouds and a drop in barometric pressure are precursors to a storm.
From Latin praecursor, from prae- 'before' + cursor 'runner' (literally 'one who runs before'). The English form preserves the sense of moving before what follows.
PRECURSOR: PRE (before) + CURSOR (runner). A runner that goes before you signals what comes next.
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Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).