Preceding

How to spell preceding

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce preceding

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does preceding mean?

1. adjectiveComing immediately before in time, order, or position.

Preceding in a sentence

• The figures from the preceding quarter showed a sharp rise in sales.

• In the preceding chapter she explained the rules of the contract.

Where does preceding come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb praecedere, which meant 'to go before' or 'to go in front of'. It was formed from prae, meaning 'before' or 'ahead', joined to cedere, meaning 'to go' or 'to move'. English took it in through Old French preceder during the late Middle Ages, and the -ing form settled into use as an adjective describing whatever comes just before something else. The very same cedere root powers a large family of English words, including proceed, recede, concede, and succeed, which is precisely why writers muddle the spellings: notice that preceding keeps a single c and a single e, unlike the double-e 'proceed'. Holding on to the 'go before' sense of prae plus cedere makes the simple -ced- spelling easier to trust.

How the word is built

• pre- (before)
• ced (from Latin cedere: to go)
• -ing (present participle/adjective suffix)