| 释义 |
forerunner
\ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷\ noun
Etymology: Middle English forrenner, forerenner, from for-, fore- fore- + renner runner; probably translation of Latin praecursor — more at runner
1. : one going or sent before to give notice of the approach of others : harbinger
< blustery March days that are forerunners of spring >
as
a. : a premonitory sign or symptom
< a stuffy feeling that is often the forerunner of a cold >
< a sudden alteration in the cost of money is a frequent forerunner of economic decline >
b. : one or more skiers who run the course before the start of a downhill skiing race to break trail, establish a typical time for the course, or indicate hazards
2. : predecessor, forebear, ancestor
< colonial administrators who … like their forerunners … dedicate their lives to arduous and largely unrecognized service — Times Literary Supplement >
< a forerunner of present-day cartoonists >
3.
a. : a piece of cloth tied on a ship's log line some fathoms from the outboard end to mark the limit of drift line
b. : foreganger 2a |