The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers is called an antecedent. In Latin, the word "antecedent" means "to go before". It is referred as an antecedent because it is the word that is previously stated before the pronoun. For example: Maria took her family to a luxurious restaurant in town. The pronoun is "her", and the antecedent referred by the pronoun is "Maria".
