prius
[prahy-uh s]
- (in prescriptions) before; former.
Show More
Origin of prius
Borrowed into English from Latin around 1890–95
Prius
[pree-uh s]
- 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.
Show More
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. 2018
Examples from the Web for prius
Contemporary Examples
I drive a Prius, enjoy Vanilla lattes, and am married to a man.
May they all stand in a puddle and stick their tongues in a Prius charge port.
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 TherapyAsawin Suebsaeng
August 20, 2014
“Through these experiences we could understand each other more,” the head developer of Prius argues in Love Child.
With its distinctive design and huge market share, the Prius easily stood out.
Historical Examples
Nor can any one Category be the element of the others: for the element is prius to that of which it is the element.
AristotleGeorge Grote
From where I stood, I could see that they were cells from a hybrid car, a Prius.
Little BrotherCory Doctorow
The natural consequence of this is that we cannot get out of "Nisi prius."
Diary of the Besieged Resident in ParisHenry Labouchre
Nec Herculem, nec Patrem Liberum, prius dicatos deos, quàm vicissent secum viventium invidiam.
A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, Or The Causes Of Corrupt EloquenceCornelius Tacitus
The strange metaphor recalls our own proverb: Quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat.
Word Origin and History for prius
n.
"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.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper