'antecedent' definitions:

Definition of 'antecedent'

(from WordNet)
adjective
Preceding in time or order [ant: subsequent]
noun
Someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent) [syn: ancestor, ascendant, ascendent, antecedent, root] [ant: descendant, descendent]
noun
A preceding occurrence or cause or event
noun
Anything that precedes something similar in time; "phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience" [syn: antecedent, forerunner]
noun
The referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun