experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent; "unhappy over her departure"; "unhappy with her raise"; "after the argument they lapsed into an unhappy silence"; "had an unhappy time at school"; "the unhappy (or sad) news"; "he looks so sad"
furnish with a preface or introduction; "She always precedes her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution"
move ahead (of others) in time or space
be the predecessor of; "Bill preceded John in the long line of Susan's husbands"
come before; "Most English adjectives precede the noun they modify"