predecessor: [14] Etymologically, predecessor is first cousin to decease, but it has never taken on decease’s connotations of ‘dying’. Both go back to Latin dēcēdere ‘go away’ (a compound verb based on cēdere ‘go away’, source of English cede, concede, precede, etc), whose derived noun dēcessus ‘departure’ came to be used euphemistically for ‘death’ – whence English decease [14].
Combination with the prefix prae- ‘before’ with the derived dēcessor ‘leaver’ produced praedēcessor ‘one who leaves before’. Traces of this original meaning linger in English predecessor (acquired via Old French predecesseur) in the notion of ‘one who left office before the present incumbent took over’. => cede, concede, decease, precede, proceed, succeed
predecessor (n.)
late 14c., "one who has held an office or position before the present holder," from Old French predecesseor "forebear" and directly from Late Latin praedecessorem (nominative praedecessor), from Latin prae "before" (see pre-) + decessor "retiring official," from decess-, past participle stem of decedere "go away," also "die" (see decease (n.)). Meaning "ancestor, forefather" is recorded from c. 1400.
例文
1. He has never exhibited the self-confidence，bordering on arrogance，of his predecessor .
前任者のような傲慢に近い自信を見せたことがない。
2.His style could scarcely be further removed from that of his predecessor .
彼のスタイルはほとんど彼の先輩と同じだ。
3.He 's backing away from the policies and style of his predecessor .
彼は前任者の政策とスタイルから離脱している。
4.The car is some 40 mm shorter than its predecessor .
この乗用車は以前の車種より約40 mm短い。
5.He is seen as more business-minded than his predecessor .