A precursor of something is a similar thing that happened or existed before it, often something which led to the existence or development of that thing.
Real tennis, an ancient precursor of the modern game, originated in the eleventhcentury.
He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger. [+ to]
Synonyms: forerunner, pioneer, predecessor, forebear More Synonyms of precursor
More Synonyms of precursor
precursor in British English
(prɪˈkɜːsə)
noun
1.
a person or thing that precedes and shows or announces someone or something to come; harbinger
2.
a predecessor or forerunner
3.
a chemical substance that gives rise to another more important substance
Word origin
C16: from Latin praecursor one who runs in front, from praecurrere, from prae in front + currere to run
precursor in American English
(priˈkɜrsər; prɪˈkɜrsər; ˈpriˌkɜrsər)
noun
1.
a person or thing that goes before; forerunner; harbinger
2.
a predecessor, as in office
3.
a substance that precedes and is the source of another substance
Word origin
L praecursor < praecurrere, to run ahead: see pre- & current
precursor in the Pharmaceutical Industry
(prikɜrsər)
Word forms: (regular plural) precursors
noun
(Pharmaceutical: Processes)
A precursor is a biochemical substance, such as an intermediate compound in a chain of enzymatic reactions, that gives rise to a more stable or definitive product.
Another drug may support the conversion of a precursor to a therapeutically active form.
There are laws that outlaw the possession of controlled substances and the precursor chemicals that are used to manufacture them.
A precursor is a biochemical substance, such as an intermediate compound in a chain of enzymaticreactions, that gives rise to a more stable or definitive product.
Examples of 'precursor' in a sentence
precursor
Will it prove a catalyst, a precursor to brighter things?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
According to the programme, this brutal technique is the necessary precursor to nuptials.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
As it is, it comes across merely as a poor imitation of its great 19th-century precursors.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Indeed, the civil action from the US government may be the precursor to criminal actions.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
precursor
British English: precursor NOUN
A precursor of something is a similar thing that happened or existed before it, often something which led to the existence or development of that thing.
He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.
American English: precursor
Brazilian Portuguese: precursor
Chinese: 前兆
European Spanish: precursor
French: précurseur
German: Vorläufer
Italian: precursore
Japanese: 前触れ
Korean: 전에 일어나는 것
European Portuguese: precursor
Latin American Spanish: precursor
1 (noun)
Definition
a predecessor
Real tennis, a precursor of the modern game, originated in the eleventh century.
Synonyms
forerunner
pioneer
predecessor
He learned everything he knew from his predecessor.
forebear
I'll come back to the land of my forebears.
antecedent
originator
the originator of the theory of relativity
2 (noun)
Definition
something that comes before and signals something to follow
The deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.
Synonyms
herald (literary)
I welcome the report as the herald of more freedom, not less.
usher
messenger
The document is to be sent by messenger.
vanguard
forerunner
Quince jam was the forerunner of marmalade.
harbinger (literary)
a harbinger of winter
Additional synonyms
in the sense of forebear
Definition
an ancestor
I'll come back to the land of my forebears.
Synonyms
ancestor,
father,
predecessor,
forerunner,
forefather,
progenitor,
tupuna or tipuna (New Zealand)
in the sense of harbinger
Definition
a person or thing that announces or indicates the approach of something
a harbinger of winter
Synonyms
sign,
indication,
herald (literary),
messenger,
omen,
precursor,
forerunner,
portent,
foretoken
in the sense of messenger
Definition
a person who takes messages from one person or group to another
The document is to be sent by messenger.
Synonyms
courier,
agent,
runner,
carrier,
herald,
envoy,
bearer,
go-between,
emissary,
harbinger (literary),
delivery boy,
errand boy
Nearby words of
precursor
preconceived
preconception
precondition
precursor
precursory
predatory
predecessor
Synonyms of 'precursor'
precursor
Explore 'precursor' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of originator
the originator of the theory of relativity
Synonyms
creator,
father,
mother,
parent,
founder,
author,
maker,
framer,
designer,
architect,
pioneer,
generator,
inventor,
innovator,
prime mover,
initiator,
begetter
in the sense of predecessor
Definition
a person who precedes another in an office or position
He learned everything he knew from his predecessor.