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n. An act or instance that may be used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar instances.

n. Law A judicial decision that may be used as a standard in subsequent similar cases: a landmark decision that set a legal precedent.

n. Convention or custom arising from long practice: The President followed historical precedent in forming the Cabinet.

adj. Preceding.

n. An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.

n. A decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case.

n. The aforementioned (thing).

n. The previous version.

adj. Happening or taking place earlier in time; previous or preceding.

v. To provide precedents for.

v. To be a precedent for.

adj. Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent.

n. Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example.

n. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign.

n. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy.

n. 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.

(prē˙-sē′ dent). Preceding; going before in the order of time; antecedent; anterior; previous; former.

n. (pres′ ē˙-dent). A preceding action or circumstance which may serve as a pattern or example in subsequent cases; an antecedent instance which creates a rule for following cases; a model instance.

n. Specifically, in law: A judicial decision, interlocutory or final, which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases.

n. A form of proceeding or of an instrument followed or deemed worthy to be followed as a pattern in similar or analogous cases.

n. A custom, habit, or rule established; previous example or usage.

n. A presage; sign; indication.

n. An original, as the original draft of a writing.

n. Synonyms Pattern, Model, etc. See example.

n. an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time

n. a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time)

adj. preceding in time, order, or significance

n. (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions

n. a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws

"Saying that this won't be a precedent is a little like the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore saying that its decision was limited to the specific facts of that case."

preceding   

representative    illustration    example    instance    topic    subject    theme    civil law    jurisprudence    law   

authority    condition precedent    precedent condition    stare decisis   

anterior    preceding    antecedent    example    token    sign    ensample   

tradition    usage    conventions    statute    precept    maxim    propriety    sanction    regulation    etiquette