going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services.-something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example.-a preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign.-a rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy.-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.