...had been preceded in death by his brother Thomas and...

[learning101]

Hi all,
Below is an extract from www.nytimes.com:
‘I learned that he ((Peter) had been preceded in death by his brother Thomas and survived by his sister Emily...‘
Does the phrase ‘precede in death’ mean Peter was the one to die first followed by his brother Thomas?

 

[emsr2d2]

No. "precede" means "come before".

Thomas died, then Peter died. Emily is (was) still alive and had lost both of her brothers.

 

[teechar]

Does the phrase ‘precede in death’ mean Peter was the one to die first followed by his brother Thomas?

It would if it was in the active voice.

For example, the following means Peter died before Thomas.
"I learned that he (Peter) had preceded his brother Thomas in death".

However, the sentence you quoted is in the passive voice.

‘... (Peter) had been preceded in death by his brother Thomas ...‘
In other words, Thomas preceded (was before) Peter in death.

 

[emsr2d2]

Simple rule:

A preceded B (A came first)
A was preceded by B (B came first)