Precursor To vs. Precursor Of

Precursor To vs. Precursor Of Precursor To vs. Precursor Of Precursor To vs. Precursor Of By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, Can you please tell me when to use precursor to and precursor of? Is there a difference between the two? Latin praecursor (â€Å"forerunner, advanced guard†) is from a verb meaning â€Å"to run in front of.† Latin cursor means, â€Å"to run.† The noun precursor entered English about 1500, chiefly in reference to John the Baptist as â€Å"Christ’s precursor.† The sense here is â€Å"a person who heralds the approach of another.† In current usage, precursor is used to refer either to a person regarded as someone’s forerunner, or a thing regarded as the prototype of something else. Here are two examples: Gilbert M. â€Å"Broncho Billy† Anderson is regarded by film historians as the precursor to better-known movie cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. [Dick Tracy’s] wrist radio was the precursor of the cell phone of today. The OED cites â€Å"precursor to† in 1675 and â€Å"precursor of† in 1716. On the Ngram Viewer, â€Å"precursor of† is far more common in printed books until the 1960s, when â€Å"precursor to† begins a marked rise, although it remains below â€Å"precursor of† on the graph. A Google search indicates that â€Å"precursor to† is more common than â€Å"precursor of† on the Web: precursor to (6,330,000 results) precursor of (4,230, 000 results) In my own use, I think I’m more likely to use â€Å"precursor to† when linking people and â€Å"precursor of† in reference to things, but random examples taken from the Web indicate that the phrases are used interchangeably: [The Scarlet Pimpernel] is  seen as a precursor to  the spy fiction and the superhero genres. Only about one in eight people with so-called pre-diabetes, often a precursor to full-blown disease, know they have a problem,   Was Marilyn Monroe a  precursor  of 1960s feminism? Its my belief that  Marilyn Monroe  was a  precursor to  the Womens Movement. Cyclorama paintings served as the  precursor to  movies. Carole Lombard was the  precursor to  all sexy comediennes. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryPeople versus PersonsI wish I were...