Precedent /(?)/

Pre·ced·ent

Precedent

a.
  1. Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services.

Phrases & Compounds
Condition precedent
a condition which precede the vesting of an estate, or the accruing of a right.

Precedent

n.
  1. Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example.
    Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only.
  2. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign. [Obs.]
  3. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy. [Obs.]
  4. A judicial decision which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases; an authority to be followed in courts of justice; forms of proceeding to be followed in similar cases. (Law)