Especially of writing or speech; going before.

Roget 122: past, gone, gone by, over, passed away, bygone, foregone; elapsed, lapsed, preterlapsed^†, expired, no more, run out, blown over, has-been, that has been, extinct, antediluvian, antebellum, never to return, gone with the wind, exploded, forgotten, irrecoverable; obsolete etc. (old) 124.    former, pristine, quondam, ci-devant [Fr.], late; ancestral.    foregoing; last, latter; recent, over night; preterperfect^†, preterpluperfect^†.    looking back etc. v.; retrospective, retroactive; archaeological etc. n.. ... show more

Roget 116: prior, previous; preceding, precedent; anterior, antecedent; pre-existing, pre-existent; former, foregoing; aforementioned, before-mentioned, abovementioned; aforesaid, said; introductory etc. (precursory) 64.    ... show more

Roget 62: preceding etc. v.; precedent, antecedent; anterior; prior etc. 116; before; former; foregoing; beforementioned^†, abovementioned^†, aforementioned; aforesaid, said; precursory, precursive^†; prevenient^†, preliminary, prefatory, introductory; prelusive, prelusory; proemial^†, preparatory.    ... show more