antecedent

Examples: In grammar, an antecedent is the word to which a pronoun refers. source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antecedent
 * The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences.**
 * In logic, an antecedent is the first half of a hypothetical proposition.**
 * A musical phrase (music) may be an antecedent or consequent phrase.**