Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PRECURSOR
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A precursor is an indicator, a sign, a signal, a forerunner, or a har____er.
"Precursor" has Latin bits that literally mean "(something that) runs before."
Part of speech:
In English, we first used the word "precursor" to describe the character John the Baptist from the Bible. He's the one who comes before Jesus, preaching earnestly, saying to everyone "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For that reason, the word "precursor" can sound solemn, serious, or dignified, or at least historial or academic.
"Raising a shout of triumph, he sprang toward the defenseless Cora, sending his keen axe as the dreadful precursor of his approach. The tomahawk grazed her shoulder, and cutting the withes which bound her to the tree, left the maiden at liberty to fly."
Explain the meaning of "precursor" without saying "forerunner" or "vanguard."
Fill in the blanks: "(Something happened), the precursor to (the next thing)."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
The most precise opposite of a PRECURSOR would be a POSTCURSOR, a word that, unfortunately, doesn't seem to exist. So, a pretty close opposite of a PRECURSOR is
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