precursor
noun
ˈprē-ˌkər-
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Precursor Has Latin Roots
With its prefix pre-, meaning "before", a precursor is literally a "forerunner", and in fact forerunner first appeared as the translation of the Latin praecursor. But the two words function a little differently today. A forerunner may simply come before another thing, but a precursor generally paves the way for something. So, for example, the Office of Strategic Services in World War II was the immediate precursor of today's Central Intelligence Agency, while the blues music of the 1930s and 1940s was only one of the precursors of the rock and roll of today.
Synonyms
Examples of precursor in a Sentence
Kristen Rogers, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
Could Titan’s atmosphere be the key to the sort of rich chemistry that evolves into molecules that qualify as precursors of life?
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
The primitive streak—a developmental precursor of the spine—shows up.
—Kristen V. Brown, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
At the heart of Zelensky’s plan is Ukraine’s desire for an invitation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which would be a precursor to full NATO membership, but something that Ukraine’s allies have been cool on with the country still at war with Russia.
—Lauren Kent, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for precursor 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precursor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Precursor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precursor. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
precursor
noun
ˈprē-ˌkər-
Medical Definition
precursor
noun
ˈprē-ˌ
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