Antecedents: meaning, definitions and examples
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antecedents
[ ˌantɪˈsiː.dənts ]
legal
A person, thing, or event that existed before or logically precedes another.
Synonyms
ancestor, forerunner, predecessor
Examples of usage
- The antecedents of the conflict date back to the colonial era.
- In this case, the antecedent is the previous decision made by the court.
grammar
A word, phrase, clause, or sentence to which another word (especially a pronoun) refers.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- In the sentence 'John lost his wallet,' 'John' is the antecedent of 'his.'
- She asked the students to identify the antecedent of each pronoun in the passage.
Translations
Translations of the word "antecedents" in other languages:
🇵🇹 antecedentes
🇮🇳 पूर्ववर्ती
🇩🇪 Vorfahren
🇮🇩 leluhur
🇺🇦 попередники
🇵🇱 przodkowie
🇯🇵 前例 (ぜんれい)
🇫🇷 antécédents
🇪🇸 antecedentes
🇹🇷 öncüller
🇰🇷 선행 사건
🇸🇦 أسلاف
🇨🇿 předchůdci
🇸🇰 predchodcovia
🇨🇳 前因
🇸🇮 predhodniki
🇮🇸 forverar
🇰🇿 алдыңғылар
🇬🇪 წინამორბედები
🇦🇿 əvvəlkilər
🇲🇽 antecedentes
Word origin
The word 'antecedents' originates from the Latin word 'antecedentem' (nominative 'antecedens'), which is the present participle of 'antecedere,' meaning 'to go before.' In English, the term has been used in legal contexts since the 17th century and in grammar since the 18th century.