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

The state of being anterior or preceding in time or in situation; priority. Pope.

In an anterior manner; before.

The mouth or anterior opening of a coelenterate animal.

, inhabiting both fresh and salt water. The body is usually compressed laterally, and the anterior pairs or legs are directed downward and forward, but the posterior legs are usually turned upward and backward. The beach flea is an example. See Tetradecapoda and Arthrostraca.

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

me; to assign to an earlier date; thus, to antedate a deed or a bond is to give it a date anterior to the true time of its execution.

Of or in the Christian church or era, anterior to the first council of Nice, held a. d. 325; as, antenicene faith.

A combining form meaning anterior, front; as, antero-posterior, front and back; antero-lateral, front side, anterior and at the side.

Anterior; cephalic. Barclay.

Also used of the body only of the vertebra, which is prolonged anteriorly within the foramen of the first vertebra or atlas, so as to form the odontoid process or peg which serves as a pivot for the atlas and head to turn upon.

Destitute of any vestige of organic life, or at least of animal life; anterior to the existence of animal life; formed when there was no animal life on the globe; as, the azoic. rocks. Azoic age (Geol.), the age preceding the existence of animal life, or anterior to the paleozoic tome. Azoic is also used as a noun, age…

The middle of the anterior margin of the great foramen of the skull.

Preceding in time; earlier than; previously to; anterior to the time when; -- sometimes with the additional idea of purpose; in order that. Before Abraham was, I am. John viii. 58. Before this treatise can become of use, two points are necessary. Swift.

Having the anterior toes connected by a basal web.

is inclosed in the cartilaginous or bony cranium of vertebrate animals. It is simply the anterior termination of the spinal cord, and is developed from three embryonic vesicles, whose cavities are connected with the central canal of the cord; the cavities of the vesicles become the central cavities, or ventricles, and…

The anterior segment of the shell of trilobites.

The anterior or cardiac orifice of the stomach, where the esophagus enters it.

Forwards; towards the head or anterior extremity of the body; opposed to caudad.

Of or pertaining to the head. See the Note under Anterior. Cephalic index (Anat.), the ratio of the breadth of the cranium to the length, which is taken as the standard, and equal to 100; the breadth index. -- Cephalic vein, a large vein running from the back of the head alond the arm; -- so named because the ancients…