ante

before, previous

Spelled ante · ante 'before'

Latin ante meant before: an antecedent goes before, an anterior position lies in front, and antebellum years precede war.

Words built from it

anterior — situated before or toward the front
ante- (before) + -ior (more)
antecedent — something that came before; a preceding cause or event
ante- (before) + ced (go) + -ent
antedate — to precede in time, or assign an earlier date
ante- (before) + date
antebellum — existing before a war, especially the u.s. civil war
ante- (before) + bellum (war)
antenatal — occurring before birth
ante- (before) + nat (born) + -al
antediluvian — extremely old or outdated; before the biblical flood
ante- (before) + diluv (flood) + -ian
antepenultimate — third from last
ante- (before) + paen (almost) + ultim (last)