adjective [原级] 先前的，前面的
She informed us that eighteen members of the staff had left during the preceding year. 她当时告知我们，18位教职员在此前的一年里离开了。
verb [vt. 及物动词] 在……之前发生（或出现）；走在……前面（precede 的现在分词形式）
We shall be known better than any preceding generations. 我们将比前几代人更出名。
