prius

¹ American  

[prahy-uhs] / ˈpraɪ əs /

adjective

1. (in prescriptions) before; former.

---

Prius ² American  

[pree-uhs] / ˈpri əs /

noun

Trademark.

plural

Prius, Prii

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.

---

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

Nam de ratione mutationis est quod aliquid idem se habeat aliter nunc et prius....

From Ontology or the Theory of Being by Coffey, Peter

Qu� si mente prius legisti candidus �qua: Da reliquis quoque nunc tempora pauca libris.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius

Chorus prosequitur cantum usque ad Benedictus qui venit exclusive: quo finito et non prius elevatur sacramentum.

From The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Volume 1, March 1865 by Various

As a lawyer, he is at home in the grave and studied discussions at banc, and in the showy and extemporaneous contests at nisi prius.

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

Mes quand son baron est mort el est in statu quo prius, et issint el puis estre villein a son fils demesne.'

From Villainage in England Essays in English Mediaeval History by Vinogradoff, Paul