precedent

• præcedent (archaic)

From Middle French, from Old French, from Latin praecēdēns, present participle of praecēdere (“to precede”); See precede.

• (noun):
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) enPR: prĕsʹĭ-dənt, IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛs.ɪ.dənt/
  • (General Australian, Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹiː.sɪ.dənt/, /ˈpɹɛs-/
  • (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹes.ɪ.dənt/, /ˈpɹiː-/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (adjective):
  • IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsiː.dənt/

precedent (plural precedents)

1. An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.
   • 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only.

2. (law) A decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case.
3. An established habit or custom.
4. (obsolete, with definite article) The aforementioned (thing).
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
     , New York 2001, p.74:

     A third argument may be derived from the precedent.

5. The previous version.
6. (obsolete) A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy.
   • c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     My Lord Melun, let this be copied out,
     I did suppose it should be on constraint ;
     And keep it safe for our remembrance :
     But , heaven be thank'd , it is but voluntary ,
     Return the precedent to these lords again

• (a case used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent one): case law

precedent (not comparable)

1. Happening or taking place earlier in time; previous or preceding. [from 14th c.]

   Synonyms: antecedent, predecessive

2. (now rare) Coming before in a particular order or arrangement; preceding, foregoing. [from 15th c.]
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition III, section 2, member 1, subsection i:

     In the precedent section mention was made, amongst other pleasant objects, of this comeliness and beauty which proceeds from women […].

precedent (third-person singular simple present precedents, present participle precedenting, simple past and past participle precedented)

1. (transitive, law) To provide precedents for.
2. (transitive, law) To be a precedent for.

• stare decisis

• precented

Borrowed from Latin praecēdentem.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [pɾə.səˈðen]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [pɾə.səˈðent]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [pɾe.seˈðent]

precedent m or f (masculine and feminine plural precedents)

1. previous, preceding

precedent m (plural precedents)

1. precedent

• precedència
• precedir

• “precedent”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “precedent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “precedent” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “precedent” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

• IPA^(key): [ˈprɛt͡sɛdɛnt]

precedent m inan

1. precedent (past act used as example)

   Synonym: precedens

• See cese

• “precedent”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)
• “precedent”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Borrowed from Middle French precedent. First attested in the 16th century.

• IPA^(key): /ˌpreː.seːˈdɛnt/, /ˌpreː.səˈdɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pre‧ce‧dent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

precedent n (plural precedenten)

1. precedent

• precedentwerking

Borrowed from Latin praecēdēns. Compare Middle French preceder.

precedent m (oblique and nominative feminine singular precedent or precedente)

1. preceding; that comes before
   • 1377, Bernard de Gordon, Fleur de lis de medecine (a.k.a. lilium medicine):

     Fievre ethique vient sans fievre precedente

     Ethical[?] fever comes without a preceding fever

Borrowed from French précédent.

precedent n (plural precedenți)

1. precedent