prius

[ prahy-uh s ]

/ ˈpraɪ əs /

adjective

(in prescriptions) before; former.

Nearby words

Origin of prius

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1890–95

Prius

[ pree-uh s ]

/ ˈpri əs /

noun, plural Prius, Prii [pree-ahy] /ˈpri aɪ/. Trademark.

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.

Origin of Prius

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

Related Quotations

"In hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, computer software decides when to run the [gasoline] engine, when to run the electric motor and when to recharge the battery. … A full hybrid, such as the Toyota Prius, can provide a fuel economy improvement of 60 percent or more."
-Joseph J. Romm and Andrew A. Fran Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction Scientific American (April 2006)

Examples from the Web for prius

I drive a Prius, enjoy Vanilla lattes, and am married to a man.
Dear Evangelicals: You’re Being Had|Jay Michaelson|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
May they all stand in a puddle and stick their tongues in a Prius charge port.
The GOP Senate: A New Utopia Dawns|P. J. O’Rourke|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This argument makes about as much sense as saying that the recent death of actress Lauren Bacall means you should buy a Prius.
Family Research Council Uses Robin Williams’s Suicide to Promote Gay Conversion Therapy|Asawin Suebsaeng|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Through these experiences we could understand each other more,” the head developer of Prius argues in Love Child.
‘Love Child’ Game Over: Internet Addicts Let Their Baby Starve to Death|Nina Strochlic|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And the Prius is still a major player—with a significant change.
Hybrid Cars Are Niche No More|The Daily Beast|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The prius of all judgments is the Ego, which posits the connection of subject and predicate.
A History of Philosophy in Epitome|Albert Schwegler
Actuality is prius both λόγῳ and οὐσίᾳ: it is also prius χρόνῳ in a certain sense, though not in a certain other sense.
Aristotle|George Grote
Prius enumerat futuræ conjugis bona immobilis, postea transit ad mobilia, Anglicè, chattel property.
Bentley's Miscellany, Volume I|Various
Rem penitus explorabo; prius, enim digito tangam, ait uxor, quam dormivero.
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman|Laurence Sterne
But no, nothing could save that man; quem deus vult perdere, prius dementat.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition|Robert Louis Stevenson

Word Origin and History for prius

prius

"that which takes precedence," noun use of Latin neuter of prior "former, earlier" (see prior (adj.)). The hybrid car (with a capital P- ) debuted in 1997 in Japan, 2001 in U.S. and Europe. Name supposedly chosen because the car is a predecessor of new types. Proper plural is said to be Priora, but that is for the adjective.