prior

¹

[ prahy-er ]

adjective

1. preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous:

   A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.

   Synonyms: antecedent, anterior

2. preceding in importance or privilege.

noun

1. Informal. a prior conviction.

prior

²

[ prahy-er ]

noun

1. an officer in a monastic order or religious house, sometimes next in rank below an abbot.
2. a chief magistrate, as in the medieval republic of Florence.

Prior

³

[ prahy-er ]

noun

1. Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.

prior

¹

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

1. the superior of a house and community in certain religious orders
2. the deputy head of a monastery or abbey, ranking immediately below the abbot
3. (formerly) a chief magistrate in medieval Florence and other Italian republics

prior

²

/ ˈpraɪə /

adjective

1. prenominal previous; preceding
2. prior to
   before; until

noun

1. statistics a prior probability

Prior

³

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

1. PriorMatthew16641721MEnglishWRITING: poetPOLITICS: diplomat Matthew. 1664–1721, English poet and diplomat, noted for his epigrammatic occasional verse

Other Words From

• prior·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of prior¹

First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin: “former, elder, superior” (adjective), “before” (adverb); akin to pre-, prime

Origin of prior²

First recorded before 1100; Middle English, late Old English, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin: “one superior in rank”; noun use of prior prior ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of prior¹

C11: from Late Latin: head, from Latin (adj): previous, from Old Latin pri before

Origin of prior²

C18: from Latin: previous

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. prior to, preceding; before:

   Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.

Example Sentences

In some ways, it is a game with all the same key components as prior Zelda games.

From Washington Post

You’ve likely tried on both types of garments in your lifetime, so use that prior knowledge to make a decision, and leave the tags on until you’re sure.

From Popular-Science

“It was a decision our team made prior to the season as a call to action and empowerment against racial inequalities and injustices,” Shay said.

From Washington Post

She already was the subject of a terrorism investigation connected to social media posts from years prior.

From Time

It’s not like Naz Hillmon was struggling prior to the 2020-21 season.

From FiveThirtyEight

He was one of few outspoken activists in Syria prior to the uprising that took a place in March of 2011.

From The Daily Beast

In fact, he was in contact with Lansky prior to converging from the hillside onto the streets of Havana.

From The Daily Beast

That gross abuse should be among the products of such all-prior-bets-are-off decision making is hardly surprising.

From The Daily Beast

“In the months prior to that, when we started taking prisoners [in Afghanistan], we were improvising,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

And prior to that day, it shocked me a lot, it shocked me a lot.

From The Daily Beast

This system had been in full operation in both districts prior to the general application of the voluntary system.

From Project Gutenberg

Fifteen years prior to the commencement of our story, Dorothy had been found by farmer Rushmere on the wild common fronting them.

From Project Gutenberg

A former chapter speaks of promises to pay certain savings by the use of Trevithick's inventions prior to his leaving for America.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor can the insured protect himself by canceling the prior policy if he breaks the condition.

From Project Gutenberg

He again renewed his offer, and entreated her to allow the marriage ceremony at once to be performed by his brother the prior.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• above-mentioned
• preceding
• previous