View synonyms for prior

prior

[ prahy-er ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous:
A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.
Synonyms: antecedent, anterior
preceding in importance or privilege.

noun

Informal. a prior conviction.

prior

[ prahy-er ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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

Prior

[ prahy-er ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.

prior

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

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

prior

/ ˈpraɪə /

adjective

prenominal previous; preceding
prior to
before; until

noun

statistics a prior probability

Prior

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

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

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Other Words From

prior·ly adverb

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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

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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

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

prior to, preceding; before:
Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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