Précédée

Précédée is the feminine singular past participle of the French verb précéder, which means to precede or to come before. In modern French, précéder is used transitively and forms compound tenses with the auxiliary verb avoir; when used as an adjective or in a participial phrase, the form agrees with the gender and number of the noun it modifies. Therefore, feminine singular nouns take précédée, while masculine singular nouns take précédé, and the plural forms are précédées (feminine) and précédés (masculine).

In use, précédée primarily appears in constructions that describe a relationship of order or position, typically meaning “preceded by.” For example, in bibliographic or editorial contexts one might encounter phrases such as la section précédée d'une note explicative (the section preceded by an explanatory note) or une page précédée d'un titre (a page preceded by a title). The form must agree with the gender and number of the noun it describes.

Etymologically, précédée derives from the Latin praecedere, meaning “to go before.” The term is common in formal or descriptive French prose, including scholarly, legal, and editorial writing, where precise description of sequence or placement is required.

See also: précéder (the verb), passé composé, participle agreement in French, antécédent (related concept of what comes before).