predecessor
a person who had a job before someone else
TRANSLATION
predecessor = Vorgänger/in, Vorläufer --- GOOGLE INDEX predecessor: approximately 29,800,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
A new forensic and biometrics service is planned by the Home Office, four years after it controversially shut its PREDECESSOR.
BBC News
BBC News
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predecessor
noun
a person who had a job or position before someone else; something that comes before something else
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
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The word predecessor has very old roots, and has changed little since the 14th century. It refers to someone who precedes, or goes before, someone else. It was first used in a literal sense, to mean "walk in front of someone".
In modern usage, one way to express that you have heard a lot about someone before meeting him or her is to say, "your reputation precedes you".
Even for native speakers of English, "precede" is easily confused with "proceed", which means go ahead, continue or move forward. This verb can be used both literally and figuratively. In a presentation, when pausing to add an anecdote, you might say, "Before I proceed, I'd like to tell you a little story."
We use the noun successor to refer to the person who comes after us. This may be why the verb succeed meant "to come after" (14th century) long before it took the meaning of "to do well" or "have positive results", which was first recorded in the 15th century. (The baker was delighted when his daughter decided to succeed him in the family business)
Of course, business owners are delighted when their successors succeed!
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SYNONYMS
former, precursor, forerunner, ancestor
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I was lucky, my predecessor spent six weeks preparing me for my current position."
noun
a person who had a job or position before someone else; something that comes before something else
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
---
The word predecessor has very old roots, and has changed little since the 14th century. It refers to someone who precedes, or goes before, someone else. It was first used in a literal sense, to mean "walk in front of someone".
In modern usage, one way to express that you have heard a lot about someone before meeting him or her is to say, "your reputation precedes you".
Even for native speakers of English, "precede" is easily confused with "proceed", which means go ahead, continue or move forward. This verb can be used both literally and figuratively. In a presentation, when pausing to add an anecdote, you might say, "Before I proceed, I'd like to tell you a little story."
We use the noun successor to refer to the person who comes after us. This may be why the verb succeed meant "to come after" (14th century) long before it took the meaning of "to do well" or "have positive results", which was first recorded in the 15th century. (The baker was delighted when his daughter decided to succeed him in the family business)
Of course, business owners are delighted when their successors succeed!
---
SYNONYMS
former, precursor, forerunner, ancestor
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I was lucky, my predecessor spent six weeks preparing me for my current position."
