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.
Examples of precursor in a Sentence
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
The team’s innovation focuses on Surface Immobilized Electrides, a new type of material made by attaching solvated electron precursors to stable surfaces like diamond and silicon carbide.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
This monster is the precursor to slasher villains like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, who lumber along on their killing sprees, though this blueprint is far more sympathetic.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
This is a great moment to get the one big Academy Award contender from the first half of the year back in conversation just as the precursor awards voting organizations are getting back together.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precursor
Cite this Entry
“Precursor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precursor. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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precursor
noun
ˈprē-ˌkər-
Medical Definition
precursor
noun
ˈprē-ˌ
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