precede
     v 1: be earlier in time; go back further; "Stone tools precede
          bronze tools" [syn: {predate}, {forego}, {antecede}, {antedate}]
          [ant: {postdate}]
     2: come before; "Most English adjectives precede the noun they
        modify" [syn: {predate}]
     3: be the predecessor of; "Bill preceded John in the long line
        of Susan's husbands" [syn: {come before}] [ant: {succeed}]
     4: move ahead (of others) in time or space [syn: {lead}] [ant:
        {follow}]
     5: furnish with a preface or introduction; "She always precedes
        her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a
        critical remark about the institution" [syn: {preface}, {premise},
         {introduce}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0