forerunner: Meaning and Definition of

fore•run•ner

Pronunciation: (fôr'run"ur, fōr'-, fôr-run'ur, fōr-), [key]
— n.
  1. predecessor; ancestor; forebear; precursor.
  2. an omen, sign, or indication of something to follow; portent: The warm evenings were a forerunner of summer.
  3. a person who goes or is sent in advance to announce the coming of someone or something that follows; herald; harbinger.
  4. John the Baptist.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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