predecessor; ancestor; forebear; precursor.

an omen, sign, or indication of something to follow; portent

The warm evenings were a forerunner of summer.

a person who goes or is sent in advance to announce the coming of someone or something that follows; herald; harbinger.

the Forerunner, John the Baptist.

noun

result

noun

advertiser , advocate , ancestor , announcer , author , envoy , forebearer , foregoer , harbinger , initiator , originator , pioneer , precursor , progenitor , prognostic , prototype , advertisement , announcement , antecedent , antecessor , augury , exemplar , foreshadow , foretoken , forewarning , indication , mark , model , omen , pattern , portent , predecessor , premonition , presage , sign , token , warning , prefigurement , prognostication , foreshadower , herald , presager , avant-courier , avant-garde , forebear , forefather , messenger , prelude , premonitor , symptom , trailblazer , vanguard