Antecedent

An·te·ced·ent

Antecedent

a.
  1. Going before in time; prior; anterior; preceding; as, an event antecedent to the Deluge; an antecedent cause.
  2. Presumptive; as, an antecedent improbability.

Antecedent

n.
  1. That which goes before in time; that which precedes.
    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.
  3. The earlier events of one's life; previous principles, conduct, course, history.
    If the troops . . . prove worthy of their antecedents, the victory is surely ours.
    — Gen. G. McClellan.
  4. 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. (Gram.)
  5. The first or conditional part of a hypothetical proposition; as, If the earth is fixed, the sun must move. (Logic)
  6. 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. (Math.)