preceduti

Preceduti is the masculine plural past participle of the Italian verb precedere, meaning to precede or come before. The term derives from Latin praecedere (prae- “before” + cedere “to go”). In modern Italian, preceduti can function as a participle, as an adjective, or in passive constructions.

Morphology and agreement: preceduti has the masculine plural form; the singular and feminine forms are preceduto, preceduta, and the feminine plural precedute. As a participle, it agrees in gender and number with the subject when used in passive voice (for example, Gli eventi sono stati preceduti). When used as an adjective, it similarly agrees with the noun it modifies (un periodo preceduto da una verifica, periodi preceduti da verifiche).

Usage: in passive or quasi-passive constructions, preceduti expresses that something has been or was preceded by something else. Common pattern: essere + stato/a/i/e + preceduto/preceduti/preceduta/precedute, often followed by da … (Gli articoli sono stati preceduti da una nota di apertura). As an attributive adjective, it can describe items that come before others in time or sequence (dati preceduti da ulteriori controlli). The form is not typically used as a standalone noun; the corresponding noun for “predecessors” is precedenti.

See also: precedere, participio passato, grammatica italiana, costruzioni passive, concordanza di participi.

Notes: while preceduti is most common in plural masculine contexts, speakers choose the appropriate gender and number to match the noun it qualifies or the subject of the clause. Its meaning is anchored in the idea of something going before or being placed prior to another element.