3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Antecedent  \An`te*ced"ent\,  a.  [L.  antecedens  -entis,  p.  pr  of 
  antecedere:  cf  F.  ant['e]c['e]dent.] 
  1.  Going  before  in  time;  prior;  anterior;  preceding;  as  an 
  event  antecedent  to  the  Deluge;  an  antecedent  cause 
 
  2.  Presumptive;  as  an  antecedent  improbability. 
 
  Syn:  Prior;  previous;  foregoing. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Antecedent  \An`te*ced"ent\,  n.  [Cf.  F.  ant['e]c['e]dent.] 
  1.  That  which  goes  before  in  time;  that  which  precedes. 
  --South. 
 
  The  Homeric  mythology,  as  well  as  the  Homeric 
  language,  has  surely  its  antecedents.  --Max  Miller. 
 
  2.  One  who  precedes  or  goes  in  front.  [Obs.] 
 
  My  antecedent,  or  my  gentleman  usher.  --Massinger. 
 
  3.  pl  The  earlier  events  of  one's  life;  previous  principles, 
  conduct,  course,  history.  --J.  H.  Newman. 
 
  If  the  troops  .  .  .  prove  worthy  of  their 
  antecedents,  the  victory  is  surely  ours  --Gen.  G. 
  McClellan 
 
  4.  (Gram.)  The  noun  to  which  a  relative  refers;  as  in  the 
  sentence  ``Solomon  was  the  prince  who  built  the  temple,'' 
  prince  is  the  antecedent  of  who 
 
  5.  (Logic) 
  a  The  first  or  conditional  part  of  a  hypothetical 
  proposition;  as  If  the  earth  is  fixed,  the  sun  must 
  move 
  b  The  first  of  the  two  propositions  which  constitute  an 
  enthymeme  or  contracted  syllogism;  as  Every  man  is 
  mortal;  therefore  the  king  must  die. 
 
  6.  (Math.)  The  first  of  the  two  terms  of  a  ratio;  the  first 
  or  third  of  the  four  terms  of  a  proportion.  In  the  ratio 
  a:b,  a  is  the  antecedent,  and  b  the  consequent. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  antecedent 
  adj  :  preceding  in  time  or  order  [syn:  {preceding}]  [ant:  {subsequent}] 
  n  1:  someone  from  whom  you  are  descended  (but  usually  more  remote 
  that  a  grandparent)  [syn:  {ancestor},  {ascendant},  {ascendent}] 
  [ant:  {descendant}] 
  2:  a  preceding  occurrence  or  cause  or  event 
  3:  anything  that  precedes  something  similar  in  time; 
  "phrenology  was  an  antecedent  of  modern  neuroscience" 
  [syn:  {forerunner}] 
  4:  the  referent  of  an  anaphor;  a  phrase  or  clause  that  is 
  referred  to  by  an  anaphoric  pronoun 

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