1. precedent - Noun
2. precedent - Adjective
3. precedent - Verb
4. precedent - Adjective Satellite
Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services.
Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example.
A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign.
A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy.
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: Webster's dictionaryHe that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself. Thomas Paine
A precedent embalms a principle. Benjamin Disraeli
As federal lawmakers, we have a responsibility to set a precedent for energy efficient practices. Greg Walden
Precedents deliberately established by wise men are entitled to great weight. They are evidence of truth, but only evidence...But a solitary precedent...which has never been reexamined, cannot be conclusive. Henry Clay
The mark of mediocrity is to look for precedent. Norman Mailer
Is not Precedent indeed a King of men? Algernon Charles Swinburne