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Antecessor may remind you of "predecessor," its synonymous and more familiar cousin - and there's a good reason for that. Both words ultimately derive from the Latin verb cedere, meaning "to go." "Antecessor" ultimately derives from a combination of "cedere" and the Latin prefix ante-, meaning "before." "Predecessor" traces back to a different Latin prefix, prae-, which also means "before," combined with "decessor," a "cedere" descendant meaning "retiring governor." Cedere" has many other descendants in English, including "decease," "necessary," and "succeed." Descendants of both ante- and cedere include "antecedent," "ancestor," and the verb "antecede," a synonym of "precede."
Examples of antecessor in a Sentence
Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2020
But visual inspection could not resolve where H. antecessor fit in the hominin lineup.
—Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 4 Dec. 2020
Though, a protein analysis of the 800,000-year-old tooth enamel of a H. antecessor published last year lends his theory credence.
—Connor Lynch, Discover Magazine, 17 Dec. 2021
The physical features of H. antecessor have left anthropologists puzzling over its relationships with other early humans.
—Michael Price, Science | AAAS, 1 Apr. 2020
The EVAs are both primal antecessors and evolved descendants of humans; occasionally, the two beings are one and the same.
—Maya Phillips, The New Yorker, 21 June 2019
In addition to marks showing flesh was stripped from the bone, evidence suggests the Gran Dolina residents—an ancient human relative called Homo antecessor—ate their victims’ brains.
—Kevin Webb, National Geographic, 6 Apr. 2017
Dictionary Entries Near antecessor
Cite this Entry
“Antecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antecessor. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
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