predate-v; 3 Senses

Sense Number 1: come before temporally

Commentary: Syntax Includes: NP1[topic] PREDATE NP2[focus] NP1[topic] PREDATE PP[temporal]

Examples:
The Japanese use of Pascal's Triangle predates its discovery by Blaise Pascal.
The world's oldest granaries predate agriculture.
Edison's first sound recordings were predated by 20 years.
Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea.
Love predated the invention of language.

Mappings:
VerbNet: contiguous_location-47.8
FrameNet: Relative_time
PropBank: predate.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1, 2

Sense Number 2: assign a prior date to

Commentary: Syntax includes: NP1[agent[animate]] PREDATE NP2[theme] (PP[temporal])

Examples:
He predated the check by three days.
Like Dickinson, he predated his choices back to 1924.
He predated his rejection of his heretical ideas to six months before crossing the Pyrenees.
He predated his stock options so he could sell early.
He predated his paintings to the time before his arrest in order to sell them.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: predate.03
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 4

Sense Number 3: be a predator of

Commentary: Syntax includes: NP1[agent[animate]] PREDATE (NP2[patient[animate]])

Examples:
These mammals predate certain eggs.
The whole idea of a bat predating migrant birds might come off as a bit of a shock.
Many larvae were heavily predated by cuckoos.
It is hoped that the stock of trout will predate sufficiently to minimise the problem.
To predate in person, instead of by proxy, is not unnatural.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: NM
PropBank: predate.02
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3