antecedent

(noun) someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent). Synonyms: ancestor, ascendant, ascendent, root.

(noun) a preceding occurrence or cause or event.

(noun) anything that precedes something similar in time. Synonyms: forerunner. Examples: "Phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience."

(noun) the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun.

(adj) preceding in time or order. Synonyms: antecedent (vs. subsequent).