antecedes

The invention of the printing press antecedes the Industrial Revolution by several centuries.

用法提示：antecede 作及物动词，表示“先于”，在句中连接发明和工业革命两件事。

Many historians believe these early trade routes anteceded the formation of the ancient empire.

用法提示：anteceded 是 antecede 的过去式，作及物动词，表示“先于”，用于过去语境。

The oldest written records antecede the construction of the temple by nearly a thousand years.

用法提示：antecede 在句中作及物动词，主语为复数时仍用原形，表示“在……之前”。