predecessor

The story

1. Latin · derived fromdēcēdō“to retire, to die”
2. Latin · derived fromdēcessor“retiring officer”
3. Latin · derived fromprae-“pre-”
4. Late Latin · derived frompraedēcessor
5. Old French · derived frompredecesseor“forebear”
6. Middle English · inherited frompredecessour
7. English todaypredecessor

From Middle English predecessour, from Old French predecesseor (“forebear”), from Late Latin praedēcessor, from Latin prae- (“pre-”) + Latin dēcessor (“retiring officer”), from Latin dēcēdō (“to retire, to die”) (English decease).

Words from the same roots