What does the word antecedent mean?

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Answer 1

Function:

    noun

Etymology:

    Middle English, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin antecedent-, antecedens, from Latin, what precedes, from neuter of antecedent-, antecedens, present participle of antecedere to go before, from ante- + cedere to go

Date:

    14th century

1: a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun (as John in “Mary saw John and called to him”); broadly : a word or phrase replaced by a substitute2: the conditional element in a proposition (as if A in “if A, then B”)3: the first term of a mathematical ratio4 a: a preceding event, condition, or cause bplural : the significant events, conditions, and traits of one's earlier life5 a: predecessor; especially : a model or stimulus for later developments bplural : ancestors, parents

Answer 2

adj.

Going before; preceding.

n.

One that precedes another.

A preceding occurrence, cause, or event. See synonyms at cause.

antecedents The important events and occurrences in one's early life.

antecedents One's ancestors.

Grammar. The word, phrase, or clause that determines what a pronoun refers to, as the children in The teacher asked the children where they were going.

Mathematics. The first term of a ratio.

Logic. The conditional member of a hypothetical proposition.

Antonyms: antecedent

adj

Definition: prior

Antonyms: after, following

Geography Dictionary: antecedent

Prior to, before, as in antecedent drainage patterns. For example, the creation of the incised valley of the Wind River, Wyoming, may be due to the river being older than the dome it cuts through, so that river erosion kept pace with the uplift of the Owl Creek Range. Antecedent moisture is the amount of moisture already present in the soil before a specified rainstorm.

Veterinary Dictionary: antecedent

A precursor.

plasma thromboplastin a. — PTA; clotting factor XI. See plasma thromboplastin antecedent.

Previous, before.

A proposal is antecedent to a wedding.

An antecedent is a preceding event, condition, cause, phrase, or word.

Antecedent moisture is a hydrologic term describing the relative wetness condition of a sewershed.

In logic, an antecedent is the first half of a hypothetical proposition.

In grammar, an antecedent is the word to which a pronoun refers.

A musical phrase (music) may be an antecedent or consequent phrase.

In criminal cases, antecedents are the life history and previous convictions of a defendant.

In behavioral research, an antecedent stimulus elicits a learned response from an organism.

In drama and literature, the antecedent action is what occurs prior to the opening of a play or story.

http://www.answers.com/antecedent

Answer 3

Like in grammar? If so, it is a word a pronoun (he, she, they) refers to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antecedent_...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronoun

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