precursory

UK: /prɪˈkɜːsərɪ/ US: /prɪˈkɝsəri/ ,(pri kûr′sə rē)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pre•cur•so•ry  (pri kûr′sə rē), adj. 

1. of the nature of a precursor; preliminary;
   introductory:
   precursory remarks.
2. Biology indicative of something to follow:
   precursory indications of disease.

Also, pre•cur•sive  (pri kûr′siv). 

• Latin praecursōrius. See precursor, cursory
• 1590–1600

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

precursory / prɪˈkɜːsərɪ/, precursive adjective

1. serving as a precursor
2. preliminary or introductory

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pre•cur•sor /prɪˈkɜrsɚ, ˈprikɜr-/   n. [countable]

1. a person or thing that comes before another, as in a method; predecessor:
   my precursor in that job.
2. a person, animal, or thing regarded as a sign or signal of something to come:
   The first robin is a precursor of spring.
3. a substance that is transformed into another.

pre•cur•so•ry /prɪˈkɜrsəri/  adj. See -cur-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pre•cur•sor  (pri kûr′sər, prē′kûr-), n. 

1. a person or thing that precedes, as in a job, a method, etc.;
   predecessor.
2. a person, animal, or thing that goes before and indicates the approach of someone or something else;
   harbinger:
   The first robin is a precursor of spring.
3. Biochemistry, Chemistry [Chem., Biochem.] a chemical that is transformed into another compound, as in the course of a chemical reaction, and therefore precedes that compound in the synthetic pathway:
   Cholesterol is a precursor of testosterone.
4. Developmental Biology [Biol.] a cell or tissue that gives rise to a variant, specialized, or more mature form.

• Latin praecursor forerunner. See pre-, cursor
• late Middle English 1375–1425

Synonyms

• 1. forerunner.
• 2. herald.