the definition of previous

previous (ˈpriːvɪəs)

—*adj*
1.	(prenominal) existing or coming before something else in time or position; prior
2.	informal (postpositive) taking place or done too soon; premature
3.	previous to before; prior to

[C17: from Latin praevius leading the way, from prae before + via way]

'previously

—*adv*

'previousness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

1625, from L. prævius "going before," from præ "before" + via "road" (see via).

Example sentences

More copies exist of one of his works than of all previous artworks by all

prior artists.

More than that, the discovery of so many feathered dinosaurs brought previous

lines of reasoning into question.

We asked her if anything interesting got left out of her previous reports.

There were a couple of issues with my previous calculation of the best

fractional representation of pi.

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Matching Quote

"The Woman had once been supreme; in France she still seemed potent, not merely as a sentiment but as a force; why was she unknown in America? for evidently America was ashamed of her, and she was ashamed of herself, otherwise they would not have strewn fig-leaves so profusely all over her. When she was a true force, she was ignorant of fig-leaves, but the monthly-magazine-made American female had not a feature that would have been recognized by Adam. The trait was notorious, and often humorous, but anyone brought up among Puritans knew that sex was sin. In any previous age, sex was strength."

-Henry Brooks Adams