antecedent

antecedent

1. Logic the hypothetical clause, usually introduced by "if", in a conditional statement: that which implies the other

2. Maths an obsolescent name for numerator

3. denying the antecedent Logic the fallacy of inferring the falsehood of the consequent of a conditional statement, given the truth of the conditional and the falsehood of its antecedent, as if there are five of them, there are more than four: there are not five, so there are not more than four

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

antecedent

[′an·tə‚sēd·ənt]

(mathematics)

The numerator of a ratio.

The first of the two statements in an implication.

For an integer, n, that is greater than 1, the preceding integer, n- 1.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.