predecessor
[noun]
Synonyms:
- previous job holder, antecedent, forerunner, precursor
- ancestor, antecedent, forebear, forefather

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

pre‧de‧ces‧sor /ˈpriːdəsesə, ˈpriːdɪsesə $ ˈpredəsesər/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: prédécesseur, from Late Latin, from Latin decedere 'to go away, leave your job']

1. someone who had your job before you started doing it Antonym : successor:
Kennedy’s predecessor as President was the war hero Dwight Eisenhower.

2. a machine, system etc that existed before another one in a process of development Antonym : successor:
The new BMW has a more powerful engine than its predecessor.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲