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 /

adjective

1. (prenominal) previous; preceding

2. before; until

noun

1. statistics a prior probability

prior

²

/ 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

³

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• priorly adverb
• priorship noun
• subpriorship noun

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

C18: from Latin: previous

Origin of prior²

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. prior to, preceding; before.

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

Example Sentences

He recorded lines for the series’ revival prior to his death.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He added that “this represents a significant moderation from prior investor expectations.”

Read more on Barron's

Now, it forecasts annual throughput of 3.5 million tons of ore from the fourth year of operation, from a prior estimate of 2 million tons.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The review found Lloyd’s “internal processes had not been fully adhered to in respect of a prior matter,” the statement said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

However, she noted that "less intrusive" measures such as a police warning or civil action were not pursued prior to prosecution.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• above-mentioned www.thesaurus.com
• preceding 
• previous