antecedent

an·te·ce·dent  (nt-sdnt)

adj.

Going before; preceding.

n.

1. One that precedes another.

2.

a. A preceding occurrence, cause, or event. See Synonyms at cause.

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

3. antecedents One's ancestors.

4. 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.

5. Mathematics The first term of a ratio.

6. Logic The conditional member of a hypothetical proposition.

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ante·cedent·ly adv.

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antecedent [ˌæntɪˈsiːd^ənt]

n

1. an event, circumstance, etc., that happens before another

2. (Linguistics / Grammar) Grammar a word or phrase to which a pronoun refers. In the sentence ``People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones,'' people is the antecedent of who

3. (Philosophy / Logic) Logic the hypothetical clause, usually introduced by ``if'', in a conditional statement: that which implies the other

4. (Mathematics) Maths an obsolescent name for numerator [1]

(Philosophy / Logic)

denying the antecedent Logic the fallacy of inferring the falsehood of the consequent of a conditional statement, given the truth of the conditional and the falsehood of its antecedent, as if there are five of them, there are more than four: there are not five, so there are not more than four

adj

preceding in time or order; prior See also antecedents

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	antecedent - someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent) ancestor, ascendant, ascendent, root ancestress - a woman ancestor forbear, forebear - a person from whom you are descended forefather, sire, father - the founder of a family; "keep the faith of our forefathers" foremother - a woman ancestor primogenitor, progenitor - an ancestor in the direct line relative, relation - a person related by blood or marriage; "police are searching for relatives of the deceased"; "he has distant relations back in New Jersey"
	2.	antecedent - a preceding occurrence or cause or event cause - events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something; "they are trying to determine the cause of the crash"
	3.	antecedent - anything that precedes something similar in time; "phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience" forerunner temporal relation - a relation involving time
	4.	antecedent - the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun referent - something referred to; the object of a reference
Adj.	1.	antecedent - preceding in time or order preceding - existing or coming before subsequent - following in time or order; "subsequent developments"

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antecedent

adjective

preceding, earlier, former, previous, prior, preliminary, foregoing, anterior, precursory They were allowed to take account of antecedent legislation.
preceding later, following, succeeding, subsequent, successive, ensuing, consequent, after, posterior

plural noun

1. ancestors, family, line, stock, blood, descent, extraction, ancestry, forebears, forefathers, genealogy, progenitors a Frenchman with Irish antecedents

2. past, history, background a series of conditions or antecedents which may have contributed to the situation

Translations

antecedent [ˌæntɪˈsiːdənt]

A. N → antecedente m antecedents (= past history) → antecedentes mpl; (= ancestors) → antepasados mpl

B. ADJ → precedente, que precede (to a)

antecedent [ˌæntiˈsiːd^ənt] n → antécédent m

antecedent

adj → früher; the crisis and its antecedent events → die Krise und die ihr vorangehenden or vorausgehenden Ereignisse; to be antecedent to something → einer Sache (dat) → voran- or vorausgehen

n

antecedents (of person, = past history) → Vorleben nt; (= ancestry) → Abstammung f; (of event) → Vorgeschichte f

(Gram) → Bezugswort nt

antecedent [ˌæntɪˈsiːd/ənt] n → antecedente m, precedente m antecedents npl (past history) → antecedenti, precedenti; (ancestors) → antenati mpl