antecedere

Antecedere is a Latin verb meaning to go before, precede, or to surpass. It describes moving ahead in space or time, or taking precedence in rank or priority, and can also carry the sense of anticipating or pre-empting. The form combines the prefix ante- 'before' with cedere 'to go, yield', producing a verb of the third conjugation.

In classical Latin, antecedere appears in a range of prose contexts—from narrative to legal and rhetorical writing—where it denotes precedence in time or order, such as someone or something that goes ahead of others, or a prior condition or claim that precedes a subsequent argument.

The participial noun antecedens from this verb yields the English term antecedent, used in logic and grammar to denote the element that comes before in a relation or conditional proposition. The English derivatives include antecede (to precede) and antecedent (the preceding element). The concept also survives in modern scholarly discussions of Latin grammar, rhetoric, and historical texts.

Etymology: from ante- 'before' + cedere 'to go, yield'. See also: antecedent, antecedence, antecede.