precursor
noun
ˈprē-ˌkər-
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Precursor Has Latin Roots
With its prefix pre-, meaning "before", a precursor is literally a "forerunner", and in fact forerunner first appeared as the translation of the Latin praecursor. But the two words function a little differently today. A forerunner may simply come before another thing, but a precursor generally paves the way for something. So, for example, the Office of Strategic Services in World War II was the immediate precursor of today's Central Intelligence Agency, while the blues music of the 1930s and 1940s was only one of the precursors of the rock and roll of today.
Synonyms
Examples of precursor in a Sentence
Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024
World & Nation In a storied Ukrainian city, a dance with wartime destiny
Aug. 1, 2022
Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea and its fomenting of a separatist conflict in Ukraine’s east were a precursor to the current invasion.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The review is a precursor to the city and the developer finalizing a development deal for the land.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Benefits The antioxidant power of maritime pine bark may protect tyrosine, the precursor of dopamine, from being damaged by oxidative stress.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Recent studies examining teeth, jaws, and inner ear bones from evolutionary precursors to mammals called mammaliaforms are redrawing the group’s family tree.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Lawyer Richard Heideman, whose firm represented Fuld's family and estate, said the case could be a precursor for victims of Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre.
—Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
Funk Generation follows Anitta’s three-track bundle, Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story, which was released in 2023 as a precursor to the new album.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
The film follows its precursor with an all-new adventure, where Kong and Godzilla unite against an undiscovered threat hidden within their world.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precursor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near precursor
Cite this Entry
“Precursor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precursor. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
precursor
noun
ˈprē-ˌkər-
Medical Definition
precursor
noun
ˈprē-ˌ
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