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DictionaryprecedentGuiding example
noun / adjective

precedent

PRESS-ih-dunt/ˈpresɪdənt/

An earlier instance serving as a guide for what follows.

Routing the fence around one tree sets a precedent for the next.

An established decision to preserve a tree by routing a fence around it guides the choice at a second tree.
Etymology
preLatinbefore
+cedentLatinto go

The pieces express “going before.” A precedent is not merely something earlier: it is an earlier instance taken as a rule for handling a later, similar case.

In context

Bill of Rights Institute0:26
whenever that situation comes up, you follow the same rule. This idea of sticking to an earlier decision is at the heart of how the Supreme Court operates. It's called precedent
Precedent and the Supreme Court | Government & Politics: Civics for the American Experiment

More examples

  • The judge follows a precedent established in an earlier case.
  • There is no precedent for closing the school this long.
  • Full payment is a condition precedent to transferring ownership.

Forms

precedent · precedents

unprecedented adjective — Having no known earlier example or equivalent.

Similar words

example
An example illustrates something without necessarily guiding future decisions.
model
A model guides imitation but need not come from history.