precursor
Americannoun
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a person or thing that precedes, as in a job, a method, etc.; predecessor.
- Synonyms:
- forerunner
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a person, animal, or thing that goes before and indicates the approach of someone or something else; harbinger.
The first robin is a precursor of spring.
- Synonyms:
- herald
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Chemistry, Biochemistry. a chemical that is transformed into another compound, as in the course of a chemical reaction, and therefore precedes that compound in the synthetic pathway.
Cholesterol is a precursor of testosterone.
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Biology. a cell or tissue that gives rise to a variant, specialized, or more mature form.
noun
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a person or thing that precedes and shows or announces someone or something to come; harbinger
-
a predecessor or forerunner
-
a chemical substance that gives rise to another more important substance
Etymology
Origin of precursor
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin praecursor forerunner. See pre-, cursor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The jump in those shares was a potential precursor of what investors are facing later when oil futures begin trading, along with U.S. equity futures trading.
From MarketWatch
That ensemble honor, the most prestigious prize handed out by SAG-AFTRA voters, isn’t as strong a precursor as the PGA’s best film.
From Los Angeles Times
It transports peptidoglycan precursors from the inside of the cell across the membrane so they can be incorporated into the growing cell wall.
From Science Daily
The new iron photocatalyst makes it possible to construct complex molecules, including pharmaceutical precursors, using abundant iron and blue LEDs instead of rare metals.
From Science Daily
Symbols found carved into 40,000-year-old artifacts may be precursor to writing.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
