Vorgänger — meaning in English

English meaning

• ancestor noun A person from whom one is descended, further back than a grandparent; a forebear.
• forerunner noun A runner at the front or ahead.
• precursor noun Something or someone that comes before and leads to, or signals, what follows.
• predecessor noun A person who held a job, role, or position before the current person.
• prequel noun A film, book or series that is made after an existing story but set at an earlier point in it, showing what happened before the original.

Senses

Vorgänger is used for these senses in English:

• ancestor An earlier type; a progenitor
• forerunner A forebear, an ancestor, a predecessor.
• precursor That which precurses: a forerunner, predecessor, or indicator of approaching events.
• predecessor One who precedes; one who has preceded another in any state, position, office, etc.; one whom another follows or comes after, in any office or position.
• prequel (narratology) In a series of works, an installment that is set chronologically before its predecessor, especially the original narrative or (perhaps improper usage) any narrative work with at least one sequel.

ancestor — full definition

1. noun A person from whom one is descended, further back than a grandparent; a forebear.
2. noun An earlier version or form of something that later developed into its modern form.

forerunner — full definition

1. noun A runner at the front or ahead.
2. noun By extension, a non-competitor who leads out the competitors on to the circuit, or who runs/rides the course prior to competitor trials, usually testing or checking the way.
3. noun A precursor or harbinger, a warning ahead.
4. noun A forebear, an ancestor, a predecessor.

Related German words