precedent
precedent Lexical Profile
precedent Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An earlier event, action, or decision that serves as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances.
"Allowing one employee to work remotely full-time could set a precedent for the entire department."
A previous judicial decision or legal case that establishes a principle or rule binding or persuasive for a court when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts.
"The defense attorney cited a century-old Supreme Court precedent to support the motion for dismissal."
• adjective
Preceding in time, order, or importance (now used chiefly postpositively in legal phrases such as 'condition precedent').
"Obtaining regulatory approval is a condition precedent to closing the corporate merger."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with 'president' (the head of a state or organization) due to near-identical pronunciation; 'precedent' refers to a prior example or legal ruling. When used as an adjective in legal contexts (as in 'condition precedent'), it is typically placed immediately after the noun it modifies and stressed on the second syllable.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French precedent, from Latin praecedentem, the present participle of praecedere ('to go before'), formed from prae- ('before') and cedere ('to go').