ˌantɪˈsiːdənt ˈhɑːbɪndʒə ˈhɑɹbɪndʒəɹ ˈpɹiːˌkɜɹ.səɹ ˈpɹiːdɪsɛsə(ɹ) ˈpɹiːdɪsɛsɚ ˈpɹɛd.ə.sɛs.ɚ something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone a person who goes before or announces the coming of another anything that precedes something similar in time phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience