# precursor

> English word · Noun · IPA /pɹɪˈkɜː.sə/ · frequency rank #16,308

## Definitions
1. That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.
2. One of the compounds that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English precursour, from Middle French precurseur or its etymon Latin praecursor (“forerunner”). By surface analysis, precurse + -or.

## Common misspellings (14)
`percursor`, `pprecursor`, `prceursor`, `preccursor`, `precrusor`, `precurosr`, `precurrsor`, `precursorr`, `precursro`, `precurssor`, `precusror`, `preucrsor`, `prrecursor`, `rpecursor`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/precursor