Precedes

Precedes is the third-person singular present tense of the verb precede, meaning to come before in time, order, rank, or position. It describes a relationship in which one element occurs earlier or holds a higher priority within a sequence than another. The term is widely used in everyday language, formal writing, and technical contexts to indicate chronological order or hierarchical ordering.

Etymology and sense

Precede originates from Latin praecedere, from prae- “before” + cedere “to go.” In English, precedes can describe events, actions, items, or concepts that occur earlier than others, or that have priority in a given arrangement. The sense can be temporal (time), spatial (position), or logical/hierarchical (ranking or precedence).

Usage in language and formal contexts

In narrative or reporting, one event precedes another, as in “The ceremony precedes the banquet.” In academic writing, sections may precede one another, such as an introduction that precedes the main argument. In law, policy, or planning, certain steps must precede others to ensure proper sequencing. In logic and computer science, a precedes relation is a binary relation that denotes that one element must come before another in a sequence, schedule, or dependency graph.

Examples

- The early riser precedes the late riser in the lineup.

- World War I precedes World War II in the timeline of 20th-century events.

- In a project plan, design must precede implementation.

See also

Precedence, predecessor, ordering, sequencing. Note that precedes conveys a temporal or hierarchical ordering and is commonly contrasted with follows, which indicates the opposite relation.