| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | prior |
| Synonyms: | anterior, earlier, foregoing, former, past, precedent, preceding, precursory, preliminary, previous |
| Antonyms: | after, following |
| Main Entry: | ancestor |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | predecessor in family |
| Synonyms: | antecedent, antecessor, ascendant, forebear, forefather, foregoer, foremother, forerunner, founder, precursor, primogenitor, progenitor |
| Antonyms: | descendant |
| Main Entry: | ancestry |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | family predecessors; family history |
| Synonyms: | ancestor, antecedent, antecessor, blood, breed, breeding, derivation, descent, extraction, forebear, forefather, foregoer, foremother, forerunner, genealogy, heritage, house, kindred, line, lineage, origin, parentage, pedigree, precursor, primogenitor, progenitor, race, source, stock |
| Main Entry: | anterior |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | beginning, prior |
| Synonyms: | antecedent, foregoing, former, past, precedent, preceding, previous |
| Notes: | anterior/ventral means 'front, situated at the front' and posterior/dorsal means 'rear, situated at the rear' |
| Antonyms: | ending, posterior, subsequent |
| Main Entry: | basis |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | foundation for belief, action |
| Synonyms: | antecedent, assumption, authority, axiom, backbone, background, backing, base, bedrock, cause, center, chief ingredient, core, crux, data, dictum, essence, essential, evidence, explanation, footing, fundamental, hard fact, heart, infrastructure, justification, keynote, keystone, law, nexus, nucleus, postulate, premise, presumption, presupposition, principal element, principle, proof, reason, root, rudiment, sanction, security, source, substratum, support, theorem, theory, underpinning, warrant |
| Main Entry: | beginning |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | origin, cause |
| Synonyms: | antecedent, birth, conception, egg, embryo, font, fount, fountain, fountainhead, generation, genesis, germ, heart, principle, resource, root, seed, stem, well |
| Antonyms: | conclusion, outcome, result |
| Main Entry: | cause |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | agent, originator |
| Synonyms: | account, agency, aim, antecedent, author, basis, beginning, causation, consideration, creator, determinant, doer, element, end, explanation, foundation, genesis, ground, grounds, incitement, inducement, instigation, leaven, mainspring, maker, matter, motivation, motive, object, occasion, origin, prime mover, principle, producer, purpose, root, source, spring, stimulation |
| Antonyms: | consequence, development, effect, end, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, product, result |
| Main Entry: | early |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | in the beginning |
| Synonyms: | a bit previous, aboriginal, ancient, antecedent, antediluvian, antiquated, brand-new, budding, early bird, fresh, initial, new, original, preceding, premier, prevenient, previous, primal, prime, primeval, primitive, primordial, prior, pristine, proleptical, raw, recent, undeveloped, young |
| Antonyms: | late |
| Main Entry: | factor |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | determinant |
| Synonyms: | agency, agent, aid, antecedent, aspect, board, cause, circumstance, component, consideration, constituent, element, fixin's, influence, ingredient, instrument, instrumentality, item, makin's, means, part, part and parcel, point, portion, thing |