precede

• præcede (archaic)

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

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

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Homophone: proceed (only with the pronunciation /pɹəˈsiːd/)
• Rhymes: -iːd

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. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     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, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, 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.

   • 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 102:

     An interesting feature in the weeks preceding the diversions was the provision of a road-learning train to familiarise main line drivers with the alternative route.

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).

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

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

• (antonym(s) of “go before”): succeed; see also Thesaurus:succeed

• precedence
• precedent
• unprecedented

precede (plural precedes)

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

• creeped

• IPA^(key): /preˈt͡ʃɛ.de/
• Rhymes: -ɛde
• Hyphenation: pre‧cè‧de

precede

1. third-person singular present indicative of precedere

precede

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

• preceda

Borrowed from Latin praecedere, present active infinitive of praecedō.

• IPA^(key): /preˈt͡ʃe.de/

a precede (third-person singular present precede, past participle preces) 3rd conj.

1. to precede

• MDA2 via DEX

precede

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