predecessor

pre·de·ces·sor /ˈpriːdəsesə $ ˈpredəsesər/ noun [countableC]

1 BEFOREsomeone who had your job before you started doing it 前任 OPP successor

Kennedy’s predecessor as president was the war hero Dwight Eisenhower.

肯尼迪总统的前任是战争英雄德怀特·艾森豪威尔。

2 BEFOREa machine, system etc that existed before another one in a process of development 〔机器、系统等的〕前身 OPP successor

The new BMW has a more powerful engine than its predecessor.

新款宝马的发动机比其前身动力更强劲。

Examples from the Corpus

predecessor• Peres now has endorsed a plan favored by his assassinated predecessor, Yitzhak Rabin, that calls for strict segregation.• Ramsey inherited a battle like this from his predecessor.• Vandenberg has been a more active director than his predecessor.• This was why the last recession budget, in March 1981, differed from its predecessors.• The new Corvette is only 1.2 inches longer than its predecessor.• The art owes much to its predecessor, kungfu, which was the root of its modern development.• As we have seen, pentecostalism has many predecessors.• This pessimistic extreme is as foolish as its optimistic predecessor.• Eighteen of Clinton's predecessors deserved to be ranked in the top three categories, Morris suggested.• Sally's predecessor had warned her about Nick, one of the company vice-presidents.• These new assistants are more intelligent than their predecessors.

From Longman Business Dictionary

predecessorpre·de·ces·sor /ˈpriːdəsesəˈpredəsesər/ noun [countableC] formal

1a person who was in a particular post or job before the person who is doing it now

Problems he inherited from his predecessor led to the bank’s later troubles.

2a machine, system, etc that existed before another one that has developed from it

The new car will have a more aerodynamic shape than its popular predecessor.

Origin predecessor

(1300-1400) French prédécesseur, from Late Latin, from Latin decedere “to go away, leave your job”

pre·de·ces·sor noun

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus