prior1
[prahy-er]
- preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous: A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.
- preceding in importance or privilege.
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- Informal. a prior conviction.
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- prior to, preceding; before: Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.
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Origin of prior1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comprior2
[prahy-er]
- 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.
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Origin of prior2
before 1100; Middle English, late Old English < Medieval Latin, Late Latin: one superior in rank; noun use of prior prior1
Prior
[prahy-er]
- Matthew,1664–1721, English poet.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
precedingpreviousanteriorantecedentformerpastforwardprecedentaheadbeforeforegoingaforementionedpreexistentpreexistingExamples from the Web for prior
Contemporary Examples
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 2015Movements.Org
December 25, 2014
In fact, he was in contact with Lansky prior to converging from the hillside onto the streets of Havana.
“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 MeKimberly Dozier
December 11, 2014
And prior to that day, it shocked me a lot, it shocked me a lot.
The cop was not named, but was identified as an African-American veteran of the division with no prior infractions.
Historical Examples
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 HoodHoward Pyle
Then the first word that the Prior said to him was "Hast thou brought my money?"
The Merry Adventures of Robin HoodHoward Pyle
Beside the Bishop rode the Prior of Emmet upon a mincing palfrey.
The Merry Adventures of Robin HoodHoward Pyle
I was afraid you might have had some prior engagement, and would have found it impossible to be with us.'
A Woman IntervenesRobert Barr
prior1
- (prenominal) previous; preceding
- prior to before; until
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- statistics a prior probability
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Word Origin
C18: from Latin: previous
prior2
- 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
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Word Origin
C11: from Late Latin: head, from Latin (adj): previous, from Old Latin pri before
Prior
- Matthew. 1664–1721, English poet and diplomat, noted for his epigrammatic occasional verse
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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).
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n.
"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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper