predecessor
- predecessor
\ \ [14] Etymologically, predecessor is first cousin to decease, but it has never taken on decease’s connotations of ‘dying’. Both go back to Latin dēcēdere ‘go away’ (a compound verb based on cēdere ‘go away’, source of English cede, concede, precede, etc), whose derived noun dēcessus ‘departure’ came to be used euphemistically for ‘death’ – whence English decease [14]. Combination with the prefix prae- ‘before’ with the derived dēcessor ‘leaver’ produced praedēcessor ‘one who leaves before’. Traces of this original meaning linger in English predecessor (acquired via Old French predecesseur) in the notion of ‘one who left office before the present incumbent took over’.
\ \ Cf.⇒ CEDE, CONCEDE, DECEASE, PRECEDE, PROCEED, SUCCEED
Word origins - 2ed.
J. Ayto.
2005.
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predecessor — pre‧de‧ces‧sor [ˈpriːdsesə ǁ ˈpredsesər] noun [countable] formal 1. a person who was in a particular post or job before the person who is doing it now: • Problems he inherited from his predecessor led to the bank s later troubles. 2. a machine … Financial and business terms
Predecessor — Pred e*ces sor (?; 277), n. [L. praedecessor; prae before + decessor one who withdraws from the province he has governed, a retiring officer (with reference to his successor), a predecessor, fr. decedere: cf. F. pr[ e]d[ e]cesseur. See… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
predecessor — I noun ancestor, antecedent, antecessor, elder, forebearer, forefather, foregoer, foreparent, forerunner, former incumbent, former officeholder, founder, originator, patriarch, precursor, procreator, progenitor II index ancestor, ascendant,… … Law dictionary
predecessor — (n.) late 14c., one who has held an office or position before the present holder, from L.L. praedecessorem (nom. praedecessor), c.420, from L. prae before (see PRE (Cf. pre )) + decessor retiring official, from decess , pp. stem of decedere go… … Etymology dictionary
predecessor — |ô| s. m. Antecessor … Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa
predecessor — [n] something, someone that comes before ancestor, antecedent, antecessor, forebear, foregoer, forerunner, former, precursor, previous, prior, prototype; concepts 414,828 Ant. derivative, descendant, successor … New thesaurus
predecessor — ► NOUN 1) a person who held a job or office before the current holder. 2) a thing that has been followed or replaced by another. ORIGIN Latin praedecessor, from prae beforehand + decessor retiring officer … English terms dictionary
predecessor — [pred′ə ses΄ər, prē′dəses′ər; pred΄ə ses′ər] n. [ME predecessour < MFr predecesseur < LL praedecessor < L prae , before (see PRE ) + decessor, retiring officer < decessus, pp. of decedere, to go away, depart < de , from + cedere,… … English World dictionary
predecessor — [[t]pri͟ːdɪsesə(r), AM pre̱d [/t]] predecessors 1) N COUNT: usu poss N Your predecessor is the person who had your job before you. He maintained that he learned everything he knew from his predecessor Kenneth Sisam. 2) N COUNT: usu with poss The… … English dictionary
predecessor — n. smb. s immediate predecessor * * * [ priːdɪsesə] s immediate predecessor smb … Combinatory dictionary
predecessor — pre|de|ces|sor [ˈpri:dısesə US ˈpredısesər] n [Date: 1300 1400; : French; Origin: prédécesseur, from Late Latin, from Latin decedere to go away, leave your job ] 1.) someone who had your job before you started doing it ≠ ↑successor ▪ Kennedy s… … Dictionary of contemporary English
