forerunner

英 /ˈfɔːrʌnə/ 　美 /ˈfɔːrʌnər/

n. 先驱；前身Someone or something that comes before and influences a later development.
n. 前兆Something that signals the arrival of a later event.

This bulky machine was a forerunner of today's laptops.

这台笨重的机器是如今笔记本电脑的前身。

Early public libraries were forerunners of modern community centres, offering shared spaces for learning and discussion.

早期公共图书馆是现代社区中心的前身，为学习和讨论提供了公共空间。

搭配

a forerunner of ……的前身a forerunner to ……的先驱an early forerunner 早期先驱

常用a forerunner of；不指比赛中领先的人。

近义 precursor、predecessor