antecedence

noun6

1. •
   The relationship of preceding something in time or order.

   • […] we are concerned with those relations of antecedence or sequence which it is impossible to think of as other than we know them. — 1855
2. •
   That which precedes something or someone (e.g. prior events, origin, ancestry).

   • The literature on the French Revolution and its antecedence is vast. — 1988
3. •
   The relationship between a pronoun and its antecedent.
4. •
   The length of time by which one event or time period precedes another.

   • The average antecedence of spring phenomena at Carlton House to their occurrence at Cumberland House is between a fortnight and three weeks. — 1851
5. •
   A geologic process that explains how and why antecedent rivers can cut through mountain systems instead of going around them.
6. •
   (no longer used) An apparent motion of a planet toward the west.