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• prius
  prius

  adjective

  (in prescriptions) before; former.
• Prius
  Prius

  noun

  a brand of hybrid car, one of the first commercially successful, that runs at lower speeds on an electric motor powered by a battery pack, and at higher speeds on a gasoline engine, which can also recharge the battery.

prius

¹ American  

[prahy-uhs] / ˈpraɪ əs /

adjective

1. (in prescriptions) before; former.

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Prius ² American  

[pree-uhs] / ˈpri əs /

noun

Trademark.

• Prius,
  plural
• Prii
  plural

1. a brand of hybrid car, one of the first commercially successful, that runs at lower speeds on an electric motor powered by a battery pack, and at higher speeds on a gasoline engine, which can also recharge the battery.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Prii
  plural
• Prius
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prius¹

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1890–95

Origin of Prius²

1997; from the Latin prius meaning “coming before”; also related to such English words as “prior” and “primary”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prius Prius

It is the prius of all Scripture and it is the key to the spiritual meaning of all Scripture.

From Spiritual Reformers in the 16th & 17th Centuries by Rufus Matthew Jones

Hall put down upstartism like a judge at nisi prius rebuking a shallow barrister for contempt of court.

From Sketches of Reforms and Reformers, of Great Britain and Ireland by Henry B. Stanton

The archipelago had been divided by the Taft Commission into fifteen judicial districts, containing three or four provinces each,—each district court to be a nisi prius or trial court.

From The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912 by James H. Blount

Thought, the universal, the Idea, form--call it what you will--this is the ultimate reality, the foundation of the world, the absolute prius of all things.

From A Critical History of Greek Philosophy by W. T. (Walter Terence) Stace

Will a mere lawyer, will any amount of nisi prius craft or precedent, give you the qualities you need on that bench, or that you need, sadly need, at this council-board?

From Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I. by Charles James Lever

They sold a 2021 Mitsubishi car for $15,000 and bought a cheaper Prius that had good gas mileage for $8,000 in cash.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

At the time the viability of electric vehicles as a large market was a pipedream and the Prius was the world's first mass-produced petrol and electric hybrid.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Until relatively recently, there weren’t that many hybrids to choose from besides the Toyota Prius — which was not exactly known as a cool car when it launched.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Translation: This is no Prius, but part of a new breed of plug-in hybrid supercars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

Dr. Blankenship arrived in the Prius that had replaced the one he gave Lydia.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner