prior1

[prahy-er] /ˈpraɪ ər/
adjective
1.
preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous:
A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.
2.
preceding in importance or privilege.
noun
3.
Informal. a prior conviction.
Idioms
4.
prior to, preceding; before:
Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.
Origin
1705-15; < Latin: former, elder, superior (adj.), before (adv.); akin to prime, pre-
Related forms
priorly, adverb
Synonyms
1. anterior, antecedent.

prior2

[prahy-er] /ˈpraɪ ər/
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.
Origin
before 1100; Middle English, late Old English < Medieval Latin, Late Latin: one superior in rank; noun use of prior prior1
Related forms
priorship, noun
subpriorship, noun

Prior

[prahy-er] /ˈpraɪ ər/
noun
1.
Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.
Examples from the web for prior
  • These appointees rarely had prior experience in postal service and mail delivery.
  • prior to discussing the conjugable words, a brief note about stem forms.
  • The party leaders are elected prior to the general elections by party memberships.
  • Four of the men were executed and a fifth committed suicide prior to his own execution.
  • Several of the films were shown first on uk television prior to their dvd release.
  • Even today these records and are consulted prior to marriages.
  • Genetic testing prior to pregnancy is also increasingly available.
  • The option of placing the cue ball anywhere on the table prior to shooting.
  • prior to steam power livestock were the only available source of nonhuman labour.
  • So silk should either be prewashed prior to garment construction, or dry cleaned.
British Dictionary definitions for prior

prior1

/ˈpraɪə/
adjective
1.
(prenominal) previous; preceding
2.
prior to, before; until
noun
3.
(statistics) a prior probability
Word Origin
C18: from Latin: previous

prior2

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

Prior

/ˈpraɪə/
noun
1.
Matthew. 1664–1721, English poet and diplomat, noted for his epigrammatic occasional verse
Word Origin and History for prior
adj.

"earlier," 1714, from Latin prior "former, previous, first;" figuratively "superior, better;" as a noun "forefather; superior rank;" comparative of Old Latin pri "before," from PIE *prai-, *prei-, from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per).

n.

"superior officer of a religious house or order," late Old English, from Medieval Latin prior "superior officer," noun use of Latin adjective meaning "former, superior" (see prior (adj.)). As short for prior arrest, by 1990, American English.

Slang definitions & phrases for prior

prior

noun

An earlier conviction; previous: ''Any priors onhim?'' ''Dinged once, in Rapid City'' (1978+)