Dictionary
pred•e•ces•sor
Pronunciation: (pred'u-ses"ur, pred"u-ses'ur or, esp. Brit., prē'du-ses"ur), [key]—
n.
1. a person who precedes another in an office, position, etc.
2. something succeeded or replaced by something else:
The new monument in the park is more beautiful than its predecessor.
3. Archaic.an ancestor; forefather.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.