ante·ce·dentBrE/ˌæntɪˈsiːdnt/NAmE/ˌæntɪˈsiːdnt/noun[C](formal) athingoraneventthatexistsorcomesbeforeanother, andmayhaveinfluencedit前事；前情antecedents[pl.](formal) thepeopleinsb'sfamilywholivedalongtimeago祖先；先人SYNancestor, forebear[C](grammar语法) awordorphrasetowhichthefollowingword, especiallyapronoun, refers先行词；先行语◆In'Hegrabbedtheballandthrewitintheair', 'ball'istheantecedentof'it'. 在 He grabbed the ball and threw it in the air 一句中，ball 是 it 的先行词。