precedence

Noun

• the act of preceding in time or order or rank (as in a ceremony)

• preceding in time

• status established in order of importance or urgency
  • ...its precedence as the world's leading manufacturer of pharmaceuticals
    
  • national independence takes priority over class struggle
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  precession , precedency , priority , antecedence , antecedency , anteriority
• Antonyms: 
  posteriority , subsequentness , subsequence