precursor

Founding-era definition · Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

PRECURS'OR, noun [Latin proecursor, supra.] A forerunner; a harbinger; he or that which precedes an event and indicates its approach; as Jove's lightnings, the precursors of thunder. A cloud in the southwest, in winter, is often the precursor of a snow storm. A hazy atmosphere in the west, at sunset, is often the precursor of a cloudy or of a rainy day. Evil thoughts are the invisible, airy precursors of all the storms and tempests of the soul.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI

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