forestep

plural foresteps

1. an initial, previous, or early step; a prior stage or phase in a process or development cycle

   1 more example

   Segmentation, as a forestep to organization, involves the necessity of other foresteps as cancellations of like predecessors, as chaotifications of the separate processes without losing the increment of the power, the limitations of which constitute the lay out or type of body to be formed according to the seriations in order, class, genera, species and variety, demanded by the germ under investigation.

   1884, The Independent Practitioner - Volume 5