anterior vs precedent

anterior

adj
  • Coming before or earlier in time or development, prior to, preceding. 

  • Pronounced with an obstruction located in front of the palato-alveolar region of the mouth, e.g. b, p, d, t. 

  • (of a part of a flower or leaf) Situated further away from the mainstem. 

  • Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal. 

precedent

adj
  • Happening or taking place earlier in time; previous or preceding. 

verb
  • To provide precedents for. 

  • To be a precedent for. 

noun
  • The previous version. 

  • A decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case. 

  • An established habit or custom. 

  • An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future. 

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