# predecessor

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɹiːdɪsɛsə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #9,383

## Definitions
1. One who precedes; one who has preceded another in any state, position, office, etc.; one whom another follows or comes after, in any office or position.
2. A model or type of machinery or device which precedes the current (or later) one. Usually used to describe an earlier, outdated model.
3. A vertex having a directed path to another vertex

## Etymology
From Middle English predecessour, from Old French predecesseor (“forebear”), from Late Latin praedēcessor, from Latin prae- (“pre-”) + Latin dēcessor (“retiring officer”), from Latin dēcēdō (“I retire, I die”) (English decease).

## Common misspellings (15)
`perdecessor`, `ppredecessor`, `prdeecessor`, `predceessor`, `preddecessor`, `predeccessor`, `predecesor`, `predecesosr`, `predecessorr`, `predecessro`, `predecsesor`, `predeecssor`, `preedcessor`, `prredecessor`, `rpedecessor`

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