Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

praecursor, ōris, m. [praecurro], one who runs before.

  1. I. A forerunner, precursor, of a servant, Plin. Pan. 76 fin.; one who precedes on the same path, Lact. 6, 7, 3.
    Esp., the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, Aug. Tract. in Johan. 4, 6; 4, 8.
  2. II. Trop.: flos praecursor indolis bonae, Nazar. Pan. Const. 3 med.
  3. III. In milit. lang., an advanced guard, vanguard, Liv. 26, 17 fin.
    1. B. Transf., a scout, spy (cf.: emissarius, speculator), Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 41, § 108.