Added 10 October 2026
predecessor
/ˈpɹiːdɪsɛsə(ɹ)/ noun
Latin root: praedēcessor Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about predecessor at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- One who precedes; one who has preceded another in any state, position, office, etc.; one whom another follows or comes after, in any office or position.
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A model or type of machinery or device which precedes the current (or later) one. Usually used to describe an earlier, outdated model.
The steam engine was the predecessor of diesel and electric locomotives.
- A vertex having a directed path to another vertex
Origin
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).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)