Meanings
precursor1
plural precursors · alternative præcursor
- That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.
1 more example
Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:[…]. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom.
2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist - chemistryOne of the compounds that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound.
precursor2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveCaused by the following symbol.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna person who goes before or announces the coming of another
nounsomething that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
precursor · noun
- Latinpraecursor
- Middle Frenchprecurseur
- Middle Englishprecursour
- Englishprecursor
Inherited from Middle English precursour, from Middle French precurseur or its etymon Latin praecursor (“forerunner”). By surface analysis, precurse + -or.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →precursor · adjective
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
- Proto-Italic*prai
- Proto-Italic*prai-
- Latinprae-
- Middle Englishpre-
- Englishpre-
- Englishcursor
- Englishprecursor
Translations
Ancient Greek πρόδρομος
- πρόδρομος (pródromos)forerunner, predecessor
Bengali অগ্রদূত
- অগ্রদূত (ogrodut)forerunner, predecessor
Bulgarian предшественик, предвестник
- предшественик (predšestvenik)forerunner, predecessor
- предвестник (predvestnik)forerunner, predecessor
- изходно вещество (izhodno veštestvo)chemical compound
Catalan precursor, precursora
- precursorforerunner, predecessor
- precursoraforerunner, predecessor
- precursorchemical compound
Chinese Mandarin 先驅 /先驱, 前體 /前体
- 先驅 /先驱 (xiānqū)forerunner, predecessor
- 前體 /前体 (qiántǐ)chemical compound
Czech předchůdce
- předchůdceforerunner, predecessor
Dutch precursor, voorloper
- precursorforerunner, predecessor
- voorloperforerunner, predecessor
- precursorchemical compound
Finnish edeltäjä, edelläkävijä
- edeltäjäforerunner, predecessor
- edelläkävijäforerunner, predecessor
- esiastechemical compound
French précurseur, précurseuse
- précurseurforerunner, predecessor
- précurseuseforerunner, predecessor
- réactifchemical compound
- précurseurchemical compound
German Vorläufer, Vorgänger
- Vorläuferforerunner, predecessor
- Vorgängerforerunner, predecessor
- Wegbereiterforerunner, predecessor
- Vorboteforerunner, predecessor
- Anzeichenforerunner, predecessor
- Vorreiterforerunner, predecessor
- Präkursorforerunner, predecessor
- Amtsvorgängerforerunner, predecessor
- Eduktchemical compound
- Vorläuferchemical compound
- Präkursorchemical compound
- Vorformchemical compound
Hungarian előfutár, prekurzor
- előfutárforerunner, predecessor
- prekurzorchemical compound
Indonesian prekursor
- prekursorchemical compound
Italian precursore
- precursorechemical compound
Japanese 前兆, 先駆者
- 前兆 (zenchō)forerunner, predecessor
- 先駆者 (senkusha)forerunner, predecessor
- 前駆物質 (zenku-busshitu)chemical compound
- 前駆体 (zenku-tai)chemical compound
Korean 선구자, 전구체
- 선구자 (seon'guja)forerunner, predecessor
- 전구체 (jeon'guche)chemical compound
Polish prekursor, prekursorka
- prekursorforerunner, predecessor
- prekursorkaforerunner, predecessor
- prekursorchemical compound
Portuguese precursor, precursora
- precursorforerunner, predecessor
- precursoraforerunner, predecessor
- precursorchemical compound
Romanian precursor, precursoare
- precursorforerunner, predecessor
- precursoareforerunner, predecessor
Russian предше́ственник, предше́ственница
- предше́ственник (predšéstvennik)forerunner, predecessor
- предше́ственница (predšéstvennica)forerunner, predecessor
- предве́стник (predvéstnik)forerunner, predecessor
- предве́стница (predvéstnica)forerunner, predecessor
- предше́ственник (predšéstvennik)chemical compound
- реакти́в (reaktív)chemical compound
Spanish precursor, precursor
- precursorforerunner, predecessor
- precursorchemical compound
Swedish förelöpare, föregångare
- förelöpareforerunner, predecessor
- föregångareforerunner, predecessor
- prekursorchemical compound
Tamil முன்னோடி
- முன்னோடி (muṉṉōṭi)forerunner, predecessor
Turkish öncül
- öncülforerunner, predecessor
Ukrainian попере́дник, попере́дниця
- попере́дник (poperédnyk)forerunner, predecessor
- попере́дниця (poperédnycja)forerunner, predecessor
- предте́ча (predtéča)forerunner, predecessor
Zulu imvula
- imvulaforerunner, predecessor
Cite this entry
precursor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/precursor
“precursor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/precursor. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “precursor,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/precursor.
Source: precursor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.