ANTECES'SOR, noun [Latin whence ancestor. See Antecede.] 1. One who goes before; a leader; a principal. It was formerly a title given to those who excelled in any science; to professors of civil law; and in the Universities of France, the teachers of law take the title in their theses. 2. One that possessed land before the present possessor.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI