precursor

/ˌpriˈkʌrsər/

/priˈkʌsə/

Other forms: precursors

You've heard the old saying "Pride comes before the fall?" Well, you could just as easily say pride is a precursor to the fall. A precursor is something that happens before something else.

You don't have to be a dead languages scholar to guess that this word springs from a Latin source — praecursor, "to run before." A precursor is usually related to what it precedes. It's a catalyst or a harbinger, leading to what follows or providing a clue that it's going to happen. Binging on holiday candy is a precursor to tummy aches and promises to exercise more. Draconian policies in unstable nations are often a precursor to rebellion.

Definitions of precursor

1. noun

   something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone
   synonyms: forerunner, harbinger, herald, predecessor

   types:

   bellwether

   a predictor or indicator of future trends

   type of:

   indicant, indication

   something that serves to indicate or suggest
2. noun

   a person who goes before or announces the coming of another
   synonyms: forerunner

   types:

   predecessor

   one who precedes you in time (as in holding a position or office)

   forefather

   person from an earlier time who contributed to the tradition shared by some group

   type of:

   individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul

   a human being
3. noun

   a substance from which another substance is formed (especially by a metabolic reaction)
   type of:

   material, stuff

   the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object