precursor

1 a substance from which another substance is formed (especially by a metabolic reaction)

2 a person who goes before or announces the coming of another [syn: forerunner]

3 an indication of the approach of something or someone [syn: harbinger, forerunner, herald]

English

Etymology

From praecursor

Noun

1. That which precurses, a forerunner, a predecessor, an indicator of approaching events.
2. One of the compounds that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound.

Translations

Precursor or Precursors may refer to:

• Precursor (bird), a hypothesized genus of fossil birds that was actually composed of fossilized parts of unrelated animals
• Precursor (chemistry), a compound that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound
• Precursor, a novel set in the Foreigner universe by C. J. Cherryh
• Precursor (Star Control), a fictional alien race in the video game Star Control
• Precursorism, a historiographic tendency in the history of science
• Precursors (video game), an unreleased video game from Kiev-based developer Deep Shadows
• Protein precursor, an inactive protein or peptide that can be turned into an active form

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