prae-curro, cŭcurri (curri, Liv. 8, 30, 13 Weissenb.), cursum, 3, v. n. and a., to run before, hasten on before, precede (class.; cf.: antecedo, antevenio).
I Neutr.
A Lit.: eā ego huc praecucurri gratiā, ne, etc., Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 110: propere praecucurrit, Ter. Hec. 371: praecucurrit index ad Persea, Liv. 40, 7, 7: praecurrunt equites, Caes. B. G. 6, 39: praecurrit ante omnes, id. B. C. 2, 34, 5: citius Petro, Vulg. Johan. 20, 4.—
B Trop., to go on before , precede; to surpass , excel : eo fama jam praecucurrerat de proelio Dyrrhachino, Caes. B. C. 3, 80: ut certis rebus certa signa praecurrerent, precede , Cic. Div. 1, 52, 118; id. Ac. 1, 12, 45: alicui studio, id. Cat. 4, 9, 19; so, alicui, id. de Or. 3, 61, 230.—
II Act.
A In gen., to hasten before a person or thing, to precede , go before , anticipate : illud praecurrere cogor, to combat in advance , * Lucr. 1, 371: aliquem aetate, Cic. Or. 52, 176: ita praecurrit amicitia judicium, id. Lael. 17, 62: nec appetitus rationem praecurrant, id. Off. 1, 29, 102.—
B In partic., to surpass , excel in any quality: aliquem, Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 7, 28: aliquem nobilitate, Nep. Thras. 1, 3: aliquem judicio, Tac. Or. 22.
VII —Hence, praecurrentĭa , ĭum, n. In rhetoric like antecedentia, things that go before , antecedents , Cic. de Or. 2, 39, 166: primordia rerum et quasi praecurrentia, id. Part. 2, 7.—* Part. perf. : praecursus , a, um, having preceded : rumore praecurso, Amm. 18, 2, 1.