# precursor
## English
### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA: /ˈpɹiːˌkɜː.sə(ɹ)/, /pɹɪˈkɜː.sə(ɹ)/
** Audio (Southern England):(file)
** Audio (Brisbane):(file)
* (General American) IPA: /ˈpɹiːˌkɜɹ.səɹ/, /pɹɪˈkɜɹ.səɹ/

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin praecursor (“forerunner”). See precurse, and refer to -or.

#### Alternative forms

* (obsolete) præcursor

#### Noun

precursor (plural precursors)
* That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.
** 2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist:Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: […] . The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom.
* (chemistry) One of the compounds that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound.

##### Derived terms

* precursor tip
* precursory

##### Related terms

* cursor

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

From pre- +‎ cursor.

#### Adjective

precursor (not comparable)
* (telecommunications, of intersymbol interference) Caused by the following symbol.
    Antonym: postcursor

#### See also

* ISI

### References

* “precursor”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* “precursor”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
* Intersymbol interference on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Anagrams

* procurers

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praecursōrem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [pɾə.kurˈso]
* IPA: (Valencia) [pɾe.kuɾˈsoɾ]

### Adjective

precursor (feminine precursora, masculine plural precursors, feminine plural precursores)
* precursory, preceding

### Noun

precursor m (plural precursors, feminine precursora)
* precursor

### Further reading

* “precursor” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “precursor”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “precursor” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “precursor” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Dutch
### Etymology

From Latin praecursor.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /preˈkʏrsɔr/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

precursor m (plural precursors or precursoren, diminutive precursortje n)
* precursor, forerunner

#### Descendants

* → Indonesian: prekursor

### Further reading

* “precursor” in Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal – Officiële Spelling, Nederlandse Taalunie. [the official spelling word list for the Dutch language]

## Occitan
### Pronunciation

* This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

### Noun

precursor m (plural precursors, feminine precursora, feminine plural precursoras)
* forerunner, precursor

### Further reading

* Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2024, page 552.

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praecursōrem.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /pɾe.kuʁˈsoʁ/ [pɾe.kuhˈsoh]
* (Brazil) IPA: /pɾe.kuʁˈsoʁ/ [pɾe.kuhˈsoh]
** (São Paulo) IPA: /pɾe.kuɾˈsoɾ/
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /pɾe.kuʁˈsoʁ/ [pɾe.kuχˈsoχ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /pɾe.kuɻˈsoɻ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /pɾɨ.kuɾˈsoɾ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /pɾɨ.kuɾˈsoɾ/
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /pɾɨ.kuɾˈso.ɾi/
* Hyphenation: pre‧cur‧sor

### Noun

precursor m (plural precursores, feminine precursora, feminine plural precursoras)
* precursor; forerunner (something that led to the development of another)

#### Related terms

* cursor

### Adjective

precursor (feminine precursora, masculine plural precursores, feminine plural precursoras)
* precursory (pertaining to events that will follow)

### Further reading

* “precursor”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from French précurseur.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /pre.kurˈsor/

### Noun

precursor m (plural precursori, feminine equivalent precursoare)
* precursor

#### Declension
### Further reading

* precursor in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praecursōrem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /pɾekuɾˈsoɾ/ [pɾe.kuɾˈsoɾ]
* Rhymes: -oɾ
* Syllabification: pre‧cur‧sor

### Adjective

precursor (feminine precursora, masculine plural precursores, feminine plural precursoras)
* precursory, preceding

### Noun

precursor m (plural precursores, feminine precursora, feminine plural precursoras)
* precursor, forerunner

#### Related terms

* cursor

### Further reading

* “precursor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10