prior

¹

[ prahy-er ]

adjective

1. preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous:

   A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.

   Synonyms: antecedent, anterior

2. preceding in importance or privilege.

noun

1. Informal. a prior conviction.

prior

²

[ prahy-er ]

noun

1. an officer in a monastic order or religious house, sometimes next in rank below an abbot.
2. a chief magistrate, as in the medieval republic of Florence.

Prior

³

[ prahy-er ]

noun

1. Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.

prior

¹

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

1. the superior of a house and community in certain religious orders
2. the deputy head of a monastery or abbey, ranking immediately below the abbot
3. (formerly) a chief magistrate in medieval Florence and other Italian republics

prior

²

/ ˈpraɪə /

adjective

1. prenominal previous; preceding
2. prior to
   before; until

noun

1. statistics a prior probability

Prior

³

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

1. PriorMatthew16641721MEnglishWRITING: poetPOLITICS: diplomat Matthew. 1664–1721, English poet and diplomat, noted for his epigrammatic occasional verse

Other Words From

• prior·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of prior¹

First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin: “former, elder, superior” (adjective), “before” (adverb); akin to pre-, prime

Origin of prior²

First recorded before 1100; Middle English, late Old English, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin: “one superior in rank”; noun use of prior prior ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of prior¹

C11: from Late Latin: head, from Latin (adj): previous, from Old Latin pri before

Origin of prior²

C18: from Latin: previous

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. prior to, preceding; before:

   Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.

Example Sentences

Also, a successful prior film doesn’t always guarantee a win for a long-returning sequel.

From Los Angeles Times

Sequels that come back after more than four years tend to open down 19% compared to the prior movie, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

For the fourth quarter, the company brought in overall revenue of $22.6 billion, an increase of 6% compared with the prior year.

From Los Angeles Times

For the year, Disney’s sports business reported revenue of $17.6 billion, up 3% compared with the prior year.

From Los Angeles Times

Prior to the election, we got a lot of stories about the Democratic Party's ground operations, which often involve strangers knocking on doors.

From Salon

Related Words

• above-mentioned
• preceding
• previous