antecedent
n
1 [C] (fml 文) thing or circumstance that is or comes before another 前事; 前情.
2 [C] (grammar) word or phrase to which a following word, esp a relative pronoun, refers 先行词
`Which proves I´m right´ is not clear unless we know the antecedent of `which´. `Which proves I´m right´ 意思不清楚, 必须要知道which这一先行词所指为何才行.
3 antecedents [pl]
person´s ancestors or past life 祖先; 身世; 经历. antecedent, adj ~ (to sb/sth) (fml 文) previous 先前的.