praecdere

Praecdere is a Latin verb meaning to go before, precede, or come in front of, in time or space; it can also convey surpassing others or anticipating events. The canonical form is praecedere; some medieval or nonstandard spellings use praecdere. It is a third-conjugation verb, with present active indicative forms such as praecedo, praecedis, praecedit, praecedimus, praedeceditis, praecedunt. The infinitive is praecedere, and the imperative forms are praecede (singular) and praecedite (plural). The perfect active participle is praecessus, and the supine is praecessum.

Etymology and meaning cluster around the components prae- “before” and cedo, “to go, yield.” The sense gathers temporal, spatial, and figurative precedence: to go before someone or something physically, to precede in time, or to surpass expectations or rivals. In classical Latin, praecedere appears in a range of contexts, from military movement to abstract ordering of events.

Usage and scope: praecedere is commonly found in historical, legal, and literary texts to describe precedence, ranking, or priority. It also underpins several Romance-language cognates, such as Italian precedere, French précéder, Spanish preceder, all tracing back to the Latin verb.

Related terms and derivatives: the English verb precede and related nouns such as predecessor ultimately derive from praecedere and its participial forms. In Latin studies, praecedere is cited as an example of a common, versatile verb used to express the idea of going before or taking precedence.