antecedent vs former

antecedent

adj
  • Earlier, either in time or in order. 

  • Presumptive. 

noun
  • The first term of a ratio, i.e. the term a in the ratio a:b, the other being the consequent. 

  • An ancestor. 

  • Previous principles, conduct, history, etc. 

  • Any thing that precedes another thing, especially the cause of the second thing. 

  • A word, phrase or clause referred to by a pronoun. 

  • The first of two subsets of a sequent, consisting of all the sequent's formulae which are valuated as true. 

  • The conditional part of a hypothetical proposition, i.e. p→q, where p is the antecedent, and q is the consequent. 

former

adj
  • Previous. 

  • First of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun. 

noun
  • An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die. 

  • Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder. 

  • Someone in, or of, a certain form (class). 

How often have the words antecedent and former occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )