n.[C]

1. 前事，前情
2. 【語】（關係代名詞的）先行詞
   The word "man" is the antecedent of "who" in "the man who spoke".

   "man"這個字是"the man who spoke"中"who"的先行詞。

3. 【數】（比例）前項
4. 【邏】前件
5. 經歷；學歷；祖先[P]
   a person of shady antecedents

   背景可疑的人

6. 前身

a.

1. 在前的，在先的[（+to）]
   That was antecedent to this event.

   那是在這一事件之前。

n.

1. a thing that existed before or logically precedes another.
2. (antecedents) a person's ancestors and social background.
3. Grammar  an earlier word, phrase, or clause to which a following pronoun refers back.
4. Logic  the statement contained in the ‘if’ clause of a conditional proposition.

adj.