preexisted
Was already there
Preexisted is the past tense of preexist, meaning to exist before something else: The cultural traditions preexisted European contact by centuries.
The word often appears in philosophical or theological contexts discussing what came before creation, or in legal and technical writing establishing prior existence: The easement preexisted the subdivision.
Something that comes first
- prototypeFirst functional specimen
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
- heraldOfficial news announcer
vanguard · prelude · harbinger · foreshadow · prefigure · antecedent · forerunner · original
Of one's forebears
- forebearAncestral family member
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- forefatherAncestor from generations past
- foremotherFemale forebear
patriarch · matriarch · lineage · heritage · genealogy · bloodline · dynasty · predecessor
In advance
- priorExisting before another
- earlierAt a prior time
- previousOccurring before another
- formerPreviously holding a position
erstwhile · already · initially · originally · first · previously · ante · pre
Existing from the start
- ancientVery old indeed
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- timelessUnaffected by eras
- eternalLasting without end
age-old · antediluvian · paleolithic · neolithic · archaic · primal · primeval · immemorial
Solid stone underground
- cornerstoneFoundational building block
- basisUnderlying support or principle
- underpinningFoundational support beneath
- groundworkFoundational preparation for something
framework · substratum · foundation · footing · root · fundamental · substrate · origin
precursor
Something that comes first
- prototypeFirst functional specimen
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
herald · vanguard · prelude · harbinger · foreshadow · prefigure · antecedent · forerunner · original · template
ancestral
Of one's forebears
- forebearAncestral family member
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- forefatherAncestor from generations past
foremother · patriarch · matriarch · lineage · heritage · genealogy · bloodline · dynasty · predecessor · antecedent
beforehand
In advance
former · erstwhile · already · initially · originally · first · previously · ante · pre · dawn
primordial
Existing from the start
- ancientVery old indeed
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- timelessUnaffected by eras
eternal · age-old · antediluvian · paleolithic · neolithic · archaic · primal · primeval · immemorial · eons
bedrock
Solid stone underground
- cornerstoneFoundational building block
- basisUnderlying support or principle
- underpinningFoundational support beneath
groundwork · framework · substratum · foundation · footing · root · fundamental · substrate · origin · source