Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Precedent?

\Pre*ced"ent\, a. [L. praecedens, -entis, p. pr. of praecedere: cf. F. pr['e]c['e]dent. See {Precede}.] Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services. --Shak. ``A precedent injury.'' --Bacon. {Condition precedent} (Law), a condition which precede the vesting of an estate, or the accruing of a right.
\Prec"e*dent\, n. 1. Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example. Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only. --Hooker. 2. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign. [Obs.] 3. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy. [Obs.] --Shak. 4. (Law) 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. --Wharton. Syn: Example; antecedent. Usage: {Precedent}, {Example}. An example in a similar case which may serve as a rule or guide, but has no authority out of itself. A precedent is something which comes down to us from the past with the sanction of usage and of common consent. We quote examples in literature, and precedents in law.