ante-, ant-

(Latin: before, in front of, prior to, forward; used as a prefix)

Compare this element with anti-, meaning "against". Anti-, with the meaning of "before", is found in very few words, such as: "antipasto" (from Italian) and "anticipate" with its various forms, plus a few scientific terms.

ante meridian
ante meridiem
ante mortem
Before death.

Made or done just before one’s death.

anteambulate (verb), anteambulates; anteambulated; anteambulating
To walk before or in front of someone or something.
anteambulation (s) (noun), anteambulations (pl)
A situation in which someone walks in front of another person, or people; or something.
anteaural
antebellum (an" tee BEL uhm) (adjective) (no comparative)
A reference to a period just before a war; especially, the American Civil War or the War between the States: So significant was the American Civil War, that the Latin nomenclature of antebellum has been used to characterize the period before the U.S. Civil War, while "postbellum" refers to the time after the Civil War years.

antebrachial
antebrachium
antecede (verb), antecedes; anteceded; anteceding
To go before, in time, order, rank, etc.; to precede.
antecedence (s) (noun), antecedences (pl)
1. The act of going before.
2. The act of preceding in time or order.
3. A reference to occurring before or in front of something else; in time, place, rank, or sequence.
antecedent (s) (noun), antecedents (pl)
1. Something that happens or exists before something else.
2. A word or phrase that a subsequent word refers to; such as, "Joe" is the antecedent of "him" as in the sentence: "We will give this to Joe if we see him."
3. Someone's ancestors.
4. A personal history of someone; such as, the events or circumstances in a person's past: "She has done very well for herself, considering what is known about her antecedents."
anteceding
antechamber
antecibal
Preceding a meal.
Everything has been thought of before, but the problem is to think of it again.
—Johann W. von Goethe

Related before-word units: antero-; anti-; pre-; pro-.