Antecursor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A significant indicator appears beforehand to suggest future events, acting as a forerunner while sometimes representing an early version of what follows
2. An element or event that comes before and signals the arrival of something later
3. Something that acts as an early sign or model for what eventually develops

Etymology: "Antecursor" is a Latin compound built from "ante," meaning "before" or "in front," and "cursor," meaning "runner." The "cursor" element is the same one found in "current," "course," and "courier," all of which trace back to the idea of running or moving along. Put together, an "antecursor" is literally a runner sent ahead of the main party, a forerunner in the most physical sense. English took the word from Latin and uses it in the figurative sense that Latin writers would have recognised: something that goes before and signals what is to come. Because the word carries that sense of advance movement, it can describe both an omen that hints at a future event and an earlier, rougher version of something that later develops into a fuller form.

Synonyms: forerunner, precursor