forerunner
nounUK /ˈfɔːrʌnə/
US /ˈfɔːrʌnər/
A forerunner is a person or thing that comes before something else.
The small wagon was a forerunner of the modern car.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A person who runs ahead to tell others that someone is coming.
A forerunner ran ahead to announce the king's arrival.
3. An early sign that something is going to happen.
Dark clouds are often a forerunner of a storm.
4. An early model or version that leads to a later, better one.
That old phone was a forerunner of today's smartphones.