predecessor
UK[ˈpriːdɪˌsesə]US[ˈpredəˌsesər]
n
a person who held a job or position before someone else
n
a thing that has been followed or replaced by another
Morpheme Breakdown
prede
cess
or
prede
before, in front of
cess
to go, to yield
or
a person or thing that does something
Etymology
The word 'predecessor' is a direct borrowing from Middle French predecesseur, which itself evolved from Late Latin praedecessor. This Latin term is a compound of prae- ("before") and decessor ("a retiree, one who goes away"), derived from decedere ("to go away, depart"). The core logic is built on the root cedere ("to go"), so a predecessor is literally "one who has gone before." Over time, the meaning shifted from the literal act of departing to the more abstract concept of a prior holder of an office or a forerunner in a sequence, emphasizing the historical or logical position of coming before a successor.
Analysis
Structure: prede + cess + or
- prede: from Latin praede- (a variant of prae-, meaning "before, in front of")
- cess: from Latin cessus, past participle stem of cedere (meaning "to go, to yield")
- or: from Latin -or, a suffix forming agent nouns (meaning "a person or thing that does something")
Examples
My predecessor in this role left very comprehensive notes.
This new model is far more efficient than its predecessor.
She aimed to build upon the work of her predecessors.