precursor

After a brief stint in community college, then at a local grocery store, a friend said Price Club—a precursor to Costco—was a good place to work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Also see: Is the Comcast-NBCUniversal spinoff a precursor for M&A?

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

A 2016 study suggested that cold Atlantic anomalies were a "common precursor" to major heatwaves that had hit Europe since the 1980s.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

They commissioned a forensic audit into the origins of a historic financial fund known as the Queen Anne's Bounty, originally set up to support clergy and parishes and the precursor of the modern-day fund.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

That could have been the precursor to an independent African discovery of iron metallurgy.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

The White House document claimed they had discussed Chinese investment in U.S. industries, purchases of U.S. oil and agricultural products, and ending the flow of fentanyl precursors into the U.S.

From Slate ● May 16, 2026

U.S. officials want China’s help going after the makers of precursors, though Washington has long been frustrated by what officials have viewed as Beijing dragging its feet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

This is a problem the EU and its precursors have been thinking about for a long time.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

And what about jet fuels and fertiliser precursors also shut in to the Gulf?

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026

From a patent lawyer’s perspective, the ideal invention is one that arises without any precursors, like Athene springing fully formed from the forehead of Zeus.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond