precedent

1. a. Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services. Source: opted

2. n. Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example. Source: opted

3. n. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign. Source: opted

4. n. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy. Source: opted

5. n. A judicial decision which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases; an authority to be followed in courts of justice; forms of proceeding to be followed in similar cases. Source: opted

6. adj. preceding in time, order, or significance Source: wordnet

7. n. an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time Source: wordnet

8. n. (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions Source: wordnet

9. n. a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws Source: wordnet

10. n. a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time) Source: wordnet

11. Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services. Shak. "A precedent injury." Bacon. Condition precedent (Law), a condition which precede the vesting of an estate, or the accruing of a right. 1. Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example. Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only. Hooker. 2. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign. [Obs.] 3. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy. [Obs.] Shak. 4. (Law) A judicial decision which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases; an authority to be followed in courts of justice; forms of proceeding to be followed in similar cases. Wharton. Syn. -- Example; antecedent. -- Precedent, Example. An example in a similar case which may serve as a rule or guide, but has no authority out of itself. A precedent is something which comes down to us from the past with the sanction of usage and of common consent. We quote examples in literature, and precedents in law. Source: webster

12. Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedentservices. Shak. "A precedent injury." Bacon. Condition precedent(Law), a condition which precede the vesting of an estate, or theaccruing of a right. Source: adambom

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