ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Precursor

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /pɹɪˈkɜː.sə/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Precursor is a noun meaning That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.

Meaning

That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.

More Meanings

  1. (chemistry) One of the compounds that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound.
  2. (telecommunications, of intersymbol interference) Caused by the following symbol.

Example Sentences

Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:[…]. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom.

Word Forms

Synonyms for precursor

Depending on context, synonyms include antecedent, beforemath, foremath, precedent, progenitor, harbinger.

Antonyms for precursor

Common opposites include aftermath, consecution, derivative, follower, sequel, postcursor.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include harbinger, herald, forerunner, predictor, foretaste, prior.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.