Precursor
/ˈpriː.kɜːr.sər/noun
Something that comes before and signals the arrival of something else.
Did you know?The word comes through Latin from a form meaning “to run before,” and its root is the same one behind English words like “course,” “curriculum,” and “cursor” — all built on the idea of running or moving along a path.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kers-
“to run”
Latin
Latin
currere
“to run”
Latin
Latin
praecursor
“forerunner; one who runs before”
Old French
Old French
precursour
“forerunner, messenger ahead of others”
Middle English
English
precursor
“forerunner; something that comes before”
Modern English
English
precursor
“something that precedes and indicates what follows”