LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

praecursor

praecursor m (genitive praecursōris)
Classical[prae̯ˈkʊr.sɔr]Ecclesiastical[preˈkur.sor]

Meaning

  1. masculineforerunner, vanguard
  2. masculinespy

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepraecursorpraecursōrēs
genitivepraecursōrispraecursōrum
dativepraecursōrīpraecursōribus
accusativepraecursōrempraecursōrēs
ablativepraecursōrepraecursōribus
vocativepraecursorpraecursōrēs

praecursor, ōris, m. id.,
I. one who runs before.
I. A forerunner, precursor, of a servant, Plin. Pan. 76 fin.; one who precedes on the same path, Lact. 6, 7, 3.— Esp., the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, Aug. Tract. in Johan. 4, 6; 4, 8.—
II. Trop.: flos praecursor indolis bonae, Nazar. Pan. Const. 3 med.—
III. In milit. lang., an advanced guard, vanguard, Liv. 26, 17 fin.—
B. Transf., a scout, spy (cf.: emissarius, speculator), Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 41, § 108.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinpraecursor

Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-éti Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥séti Proto-Italic *korzō Latin currō Latin praecurrō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin praecursor From praecurrō (“to run before”) + -tor.

Descendants
  • Catalanprecursor
  • Englishprecursor
  • Frenchprécurseur
  • Italianprecursore
  • Portugueseprecursor
  • Spanishprecursor
  • Galicianprecursor

Quick answers

What does praecursor mean in Latin?
praecursor, a noun, means “forerunner, vanguard; spy”.
What is the genitive of praecursor?
The genitive singular is praecursōris. praecursor is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce praecursor?
In classical Latin, [prae̯ˈkʊr.sɔr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [preˈkur.sor].
Where does praecursor come from?
Proto-Indo-European *per- → Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- → Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? → Proto-Italic *prai → Proto-Italic *prai- → Latin praecursor.