precede

precede

See also: precedé, précède, and précédé

English

Alternative forms

• præcede (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle French précéder, from Latin praecēdō, from prae- + cēdō.

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈsiːd/, /pɹɪˈsiːd/, /pɹiːˈsiːd/
• Rhymes: -iːd

Verb

precede (third-person singular simple present precedes, present participle preceding, simple past and past participle preceded)

1. (transitive) To go before, go in front of.

   Cultural genocide precedes physical genocide.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     But harm precedes not sin: onely our Foe / Tempting affronts us with his foul esteem / Of our integritie

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter I, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. In Six Volumes, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: Printed by A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292, book IV:

     This is the custom of sending on a basket-woman, who is to precede the pomp at a coronation, and to strew the stage with flowers, before the great personages begin their procession.

2. (transitive) To cause to be preceded; to preface; to introduce.
   • 1832, James Kent, Commentaries on American Law, Volume 1, page 52

     It has been usual to precede hostilities by a public declaration communicated to the enemy.

3. (transitive) To have higher rank than (someone or something else).

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with proceed.
• This word is commonly misspelt as preceed.

Synonyms

• (go before): forego; see also Thesaurus:precede

Antonyms

• (go before): succeed; see also Thesaurus:succeed

Related terms

• precedence
• precedent
• unprecedented

Translations

go before, go in front of

Bulgarian: предшествам (predšestvam) Catalan: precedir (ca) Czech: předcházet impf Dutch: voorafgaan (nl), laten voorbijgaan, passen (nl) Esperanto: antaŭi Finnish: kulkea edellä, edeltää (fi) French: précéder (fr) German: vorangehen, vorausgehen Greek: προηγούμαι (el) (proïgoúmai) Ancient: ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai) Indonesian: memasrahkan

Italian: precedere (it) Japanese: 先んずる (さきんずる, sakinzuru) Occitan: precedir, davantejar Polish: poprzedzać (pl) Portuguese: preceder (pt), anteceder (pt) Romanian: preceda (ro) Russian: предше́ствовать (ru) impf (predšéstvovatʹ) Serbo-Croatian: prethoditi (sh), претходити Spanish: preceder (es), anteceder (es) Swahili: kutangulia (sw) Turkish: önce gelmek, önce gitmek

have higher rank than

Finnish: ylittää tärkeydessä, olla tärkeämpi French: précéder (fr) Hungarian: megelőz (hu)

Portuguese: preceder (pt) Romanian: preceda (ro) Russian: превосходи́ть (ru) impf (prevosxodítʹ)

Noun

precede (plural precedes)

1. Brief editorial preface (usually to an article or essay)

Anagrams

• creeped

---

Italian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛde

Verb

precede

1. third-person singular present indicative of precedere

---

Portuguese

Verb

precede

1. third-person singular present indicative of preceder
2. second-person singular imperative of preceder

---

Spanish

Verb

precede

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of preceder.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of preceder.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of preceder.