precursor
- 01 C1 Advanced
something that happened or existed before another thing, especially if it influenced the later thing.
a person or thing that precedes another, often serving as a prototype or an indicator of future developments.
Simple“The small local protest was a precursor to the national movement that followed.”
In context“Historians often view the early 19th-century steam carriage as a direct precursor to the modern automobile, despite its limited commercial success.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'to'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a chemical substance that is used to make another substance during a reaction.
a compound that participates in a chemical reaction that produces another compound.
Simple“The lab needs a specific precursor to create the new medicine.”
In context“The synthesis of the polymer requires a highly purified precursor to ensure the final product maintains its structural integrity.”
UsageCommonly used in biochemistry and industrial chemistry contexts.
Synonymsreactantsource materialAntonymsby productend product
“The idea is to look for potential exoearths circling other sun-like stars that might have either precursors of life or primitive life.”
“Army Air Forces (USAAF), a precursor to the modern Air Force, the Eighth suffered more fatalities than the entire Marine Corps over the course of World War II.”
Inherited from Middle English precursour, from Middle French precurseur or its etymon Latin praecursor (“forerunner”). By surface analysis, precurse + -or.
From pre- + cursor.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.