precursor

précurseur, signe avant-coureur

Quelque chose qui précède une autre chose, la prépare ou indique qu’elle pourrait se produire.

En anglais simple : Something that comes before and leads to something else, or shows that it may happen.

• The bicycle was a precursor to the motorcycle.
• Small protests were precursors of a larger movement.
• A sudden drop in pressure can be a precursor to a storm.

Comment l'utiliser : a precursor to/of something (These early machines were precursors to modern computers.)

Synonymes : forerunner, predecessor, harbinger

Expressions courantes : precursor to something, precursor of something, early precursor