Definition of: antecedent

(an′tə·sēd′nt) adjective
1. Going before; prior in time, place, or order; preceding; anterior: often with to.
2. Geol. Having a course across a fold or fault of the earth's surface: contrasted with consequent.
—noun
1. One who or that which precedes or goes before.
2. Gram. The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun, especially a relative pronoun, refers.
3. plural The facts, collectively, that have gone before in the history of a person or thing; also, ancestry.
4. Math. The first term of a ratio; in a proportion, the first and third terms.
5. Logic That upon which something else is based. See synonyms under CAUSE, PRECEDENT. [<L antecedens, -entis, ppr. of antecedere. See ANTECEDE.]
—an′te·ce′dent·ly adverb Synonyms (adj.): anterior, earlier, foregoing, former, introductory, precedent, preceding, preliminary, previous, prior. When used simply of time, antecedent and previous refer to that which happens at any prior time; preceding to that which is immediately or next before. See PREVIOUS. Antonyms: consequent, following, later, posterior, subsequent, succeeding.