Antecedent

Antecedent

noun
1. a thing that existed before or logically precedes another.
2. a person's ancestors or family and social background.
3. an earlier word, phrase, or clause to which another word (especially a following relative pronoun) refers back.
4. the statement contained in the ‘if’ clause of a conditional proposition.

adjective
1. preceding in time or order; previous or pre-existing.
2. denoting or counting as an antecedent.