prius

[prahy-uh s]

adjective

(in prescriptions) before; former.

Origin of prius

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1890–95

Prius

[pree-uh s]

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)

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

Examples from the Web for prius

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
“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
With its distinctive design and huge market share, the Prius easily stood out.
Hybrid Cars Are Niche No More
The Daily Beast
June 6, 2014

Historical Examples of prius

Nor can any one Category be the element of the others: for the element is prius to that of which it is the element.
Aristotle
George Grote
From where I stood, I could see that they were cells from a hybrid car, a Prius.
Little Brother
Cory Doctorow
The natural consequence of this is that we cannot get out of "Nisi prius."
Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris
Henry Labouchre
Nec Herculem, nec Patrem Liberum, prius dicatos deos, quàm vicissent secum viventium invidiam.
A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, Or The Causes Of Corrupt Eloquence
Cornelius Tacitus
The strange metaphor recalls our own proverb: Quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat.
The Expositor's Bible: The Prophecies of Jeremiah
C J Ball

Word Origin and History for 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.