What does precedent mean?
Word: Precedent
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Precedent means an earlier action or decision that is used as an example or a rule for what should be done later in a similar situation.
Synonyms: example, model, standard, guide
Word origin: Comes through French from Latin praecedere, 'to go before'.
How do you spell precedent?
Syllables: prec - e - dent
Tricky part: Where you hear an s sound after pre, the word has a c, because it is linked to the verb precede.
Watch out for: presedent, presidant
Memory tip: A precedent goes before later cases, just as to precede is to go before; both keep the same c after pre.
Idioms and Phrases
- Set a precedent: To do something that others may copy or point to later. Example: "Letting one team bat twice would set a precedent for every match after it."
Precedent in a sentence
Example 1: The head girl's speech at the farewell set a precedent that later head girls followed.
Example 2: Giving the whole class a holiday for one birthday would be a strange precedent.
Example 3: There was no precedent for a girl leading the school band, so Meera made history.
Fun Fact
Precedent is easily confused with precedence, which means being more important or coming first, as in 'Safety takes precedence over speed'.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Read the sentences and choose the correct option:
1. The teachers treated last year's book-fair decision as a precedent when planning this year's fair. 2. The precedent of the club rang the bell to start the meeting.
a) neither
b) only 2
c) only 1
d) both
Show answer
c) only 1. The person who leads a club is its president; sentence 1 uses the word for an earlier example correctly.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) precede : precedant
b) confide : confident
c) differ : different
d) reside : resident
Show answer
a) precede : precedant. Like resident, confident and different, the noun for an earlier example ends in -ent.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its meaning:
1. precedent 2. procedure 3. preference a. a greater liking for one thing than another b. something done once that others can later point to c. a fixed way of doing something
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. A precedent is something others can point back to, a procedure is a set way of working, and a preference is what you like better.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Last year the school let Class 8 plan the farewell. This year's Class 8 calls that a precedent. They mean that ___.
a) it was kept secret from them
b) they may plan it the same way
c) it must never happen again
d) it is the oldest rule in school
Show answer
b) they may plan it the same way
2. An unprecedented event is one that ___.
a) was planned long ago
b) has never happened before
c) happens every year
d) happens by chance
Show answer
b) has never happened before
