precursors
Things coming before
Precursors are things that come before and pave the way for what follows.
A precursor may be an earlier version that develops into something else: The harpsichord was a precursor to the piano.
In chemistry and biology, a precursor is a substance from which another is formed: Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin.
The word often implies a causal or developmental relationship, not mere sequence.
Foretelling of future events
- auguryOmen interpretation practice
- forewarningNotice of future trouble
- portentSign of future calamity
- foreshadowingHinting at later events
premonition · harbinger · auspice · presage · foreboding · warning sign · ill omen · good omen
Ancestor from generations past
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- forerunnerOne that comes before
- predecessorOne who came first
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
forebear · primogenitor · antecedent · prototype · archetype · trailblazer · originator · pathfinder
Point of creation
- beginningInitial stage of something
- inceptionFounding moment
- sourcePoint of origin
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
foundation · commencement · dawn · birth · outset · germination · conception · fountainhead
Measurable biological health signal
- diagnosticTest to identify problems
- gaugeStandard of measurement
- barometerInstrument gauging atmospheric pressure
- benchmarkStandard for comparison
bellwether · symptom · marker · index · signpost · cue · clue · hint
Substance prompting chemical change
- reactantSubstance undergoing chemical change
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
- intermediateBetween two levels
- raw materialUnprocessed production input
building block · feedstock · compound · catalyst · metabolite · synthesize · derivative · byproduct
prophecy
Foretelling of future events
- auguryOmen interpretation practice
- forewarningNotice of future trouble
- portentSign of future calamity
foreshadowing · premonition · harbinger · auspice · presage · foreboding · warning sign · ill omen · good omen · bad sign
forefather
Ancestor from generations past
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- forerunnerOne that comes before
- predecessorOne who came first
pioneer · forebear · primogenitor · antecedent · prototype · archetype · trailblazer · originator · pathfinder · founding father
genesis
Point of creation
root · foundation · commencement · dawn · birth · outset · germination · conception · fountainhead · baseline
biomarker
Measurable biological health signal
- diagnosticTest to identify problems
- gaugeStandard of measurement
- barometerInstrument gauging atmospheric pressure
benchmark · bellwether · symptom · marker · index · signpost · cue · clue · hint · evidence
reagent
Substance prompting chemical change
- reactantSubstance undergoing chemical change
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
- intermediateBetween two levels
raw material · building block · feedstock · compound · catalyst · metabolite · synthesize · derivative · byproduct · monomer
- trailblazerstrailblazers, pioneers, innovators, groundbreakers, forerunners
- seismologyearthquake, earthquakes, seismograph, seismicity, seismometer
- Antecedentsancestors, parents, grandparents, forebears, predecessors
- narcotraffickingdrug trafficking, drug cartels, drug lord, drug lords, narcos
- sol-gelsol, gel, gelation, aerogel, aerogels
- dual-usecentrifuges, nuclear materials, guidance systems, biological agents, pathogens
precursorssuccessors
Those who follow after
descendants · offspring · followers · heirs · posterity
precursorsproducts
Items made for sale
results · outcomes · end products · consequences · derivatives