precede

Precede is a verb meaning to come before something else in time, order, rank, or position. It can describe events that occur earlier, items arranged earlier in a sequence, or people who hold a position relative to others. The word is transitive: one thing precedes another, as in The introduction precedes the main body of the text.

The term derives from Latin prae- meaning before and cedere meaning to go or yield. Related terms include precedent, precedence, and preface, which reflect different aspects of ordering and priority. Predates and precedes are often used to discuss timing, with predates focusing on dating earlier and precedes focusing on placement in sequence or hierarchy.

In modern usage, precede is common in formal and academic writing as well as in discussions of order, scheduling, or hierarchy. It is used across contexts such as events, documents, and programming, where one component must occur before another. Examples include a warm-up that precedes the main event, or a prefatory section that precedes the main text. In grammar and technical writing, elements such as adjectives, determiners, or initialization steps may precede other elements in a structure or workflow.

See also: precedence, predecessor, precedent, predating.