prior

[prahy-er]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prior ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous: A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.

preceding in importance or privilege.

noun

Informal. a prior conviction.

Idioms

prior to, preceding; before: Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.

Origin of prior

1705–15; < Latin: former, elder, superior (adj.), before (adv.); akin to prime, pre-

Related formspri·or·ly, adverb

Synonyms for prior

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prior ON THESAURUS.COM

1. anterior, antecedent.

prior

[prahy-er]

noun

an officer in a monastic order or religious house, sometimes next in rank below an abbot.

a chief magistrate, as in the medieval republic of Florence.

Origin of prior

before 1100; Middle English, late Old English < Medieval Latin, Late Latin: one superior in rank; noun use of prior prior¹

Related formspri·or·ship, nounsub·pri·or·ship, noun

Prior

[prahy-er]

noun

Matthew,1664–1721, English poet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for prior

preceding, previous, anterior, antecedent, former, past, forward, precedent, ahead, before, foregoing, aforementioned, preexistent, preexisting

Examples from the Web for prior

Contemporary Examples of prior

He was one of few outspoken activists in Syria prior to the uprising that took a place in March of 2011.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015
Movements.Org
December 25, 2014
In fact, he was in contact with Lansky prior to converging from the hillside onto the streets of Havana.
Will Hyman Roth Return to Havana With Normalized Relations?
John L. Smith
December 18, 2014
“In the months prior to that, when we started taking prisoners [in Afghanistan], we were improvising,” he said.
CIA Interrogation Chief: ‘Rectal Feeding,’ Broken Limbs Are News to Me
Kimberly Dozier
December 11, 2014
And prior to that day, it shocked me a lot, it shocked me a lot.
90 Seconds of Fury in Ferguson Are the Key to Making Peace in America
Michael Daly
November 26, 2014
The cop was not named, but was identified as an African-American veteran of the division with no prior infractions.
The 14 Teens Killed by Cops Since Michael Brown
Nina Strochlic
November 25, 2014

Historical Examples of prior

Have we not all an interest in it, and a prior right, if right were to have taken place?
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
When he had come to where the Prior sat, he knelt upon one knee.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle
Then the first word that the Prior said to him was "Hast thou brought my money?"
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle
Beside the Bishop rode the Prior of Emmet upon a mincing palfrey.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle
I was afraid you might have had some prior engagement, and would have found it impossible to be with us.'
A Woman Intervenes
Robert Barr

British Dictionary definitions for prior

prior

adjective

(prenominal) previous; preceding

prior to before; until

noun

statistics a prior probability

Word Origin for prior

C18: from Latin: previous

prior

noun

the superior of a house and community in certain religious orders

the deputy head of a monastery or abbey, ranking immediately below the abbot

(formerly) a chief magistrate in medieval Florence and other Italian republics

Word Origin for prior

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

Prior

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for prior

adj.

"earlier," 1714, from Latin prior "former, previous, first;" figuratively "superior, better;" as a noun "forefather; superior rank;" comparative of Old Latin pri "before," from PIE *prai-, *prei-, from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per).

"superior officer of a religious house or order," late Old English, from Medieval Latin prior "superior officer," noun use of Latin adjective meaning "former, superior" (see prior (adj.)). As short for prior arrest, by 1990, American English.