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Going before in time; prior; anterior; preceding; as, an event antecedent to the Deluge; an antecedent cause.

Previously; before in time; at a time preceding; as, antecedently to conversion. Barrow.

One who believes that life can be produced independently of antecedent. Huxley.

By alternation; when, in a proportion, the antecedent term is compared with antecedent, and consequent.

Antecedent; preceding in time. "Capable of antecedaneous proof." Barrow.

The state or condition of being antecedent; priority. Fothherby.

Prior date; a date antecedent to another which is the actual date.

Before in time; antecedent. Antigonus, who was anterior to Polybius. Sir G. C. Lewis.

, when several ratios of equality are given, the consequent of each being the same as the antecedent of the next, the relation between the first antecedent and the last consequent is discovered. -- Chain shot (Mil.), two cannon balls united by a shot chain, formerly used in naval warfare on account of their destructiv…

The quality of being cogent; power of compelling conviction; conclusiveness; force. An antecedent argument of extreme cogency. J. H. Newman.

The second term of a ratio, as the term b in the ratio a:b, the first a, being the antecedent.

be, taken into account as a ground of opinion or action; motive; reason. He was obliged, antecedent to all other considerations, to search an asylum. Dryden. Some considerations which are necessary to the forming of a correct judgment. Macaulay.

r more equal ratios, in which the consequent of each preceding ratio is the same with the antecedent of the folowing one; as, 4 : 8 : 8 : 16 :: 16 : 32.

The antecedent of a pronoun.

The desertion by a party to any pleading of the ground taken by him in his last antecedent pleading, and the adoption of another. Bouvier.

Double. Duple ratio (Math.), that in which the antecedent term is double the consequent, as of 2 to 1, 8 to 4, etc.

That which is produced by an agent or cause; the event which follows immediately from an antecedent, called the cause; result; consequence; outcome; fruit; as, the effect of luxury. The effect is the unfailing index of the amount of the cause. Whewell.

An argument consisting of only two propositions, an antecedent and consequent deduced from it; a syllogism with one premise omitted; as, We are dependent; therefore we should be humble. Here the major proposition is suppressed. The complete syllogism would be, Dependent creatures should be humble; we are dependent crea…

A yellowish coloring matter found in plants grown in darkness, which is supposed to be an antecedent condition of chlorophyll. Encyc. Brit.

rty is the exponent of its principles. Exponent of a ratio, the quotient arising when the antecedent is divided by the consequent; thus, 6 is the exponent of the ratio of 30 to 5. [R.]