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prior

 [prahy-er]   Example Sentences Origin

pri·or

1   [prahy-er]
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.

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Prior is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Idiom
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
pri·or·ly, adverb

Synonyms
1. anterior, antecedent.

Example Sentences
  • Thursday of the week prior to publication.
  • Database search turns up research papers suspiciously similar to prior publications, prompting investigations.
  • We have two children, each by a prior marriage.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

pri·or

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.
Origin:
before 1100; Middle English, late Old English < Medieval Latin, Late Latin: one superior in rank; noun use of prior prior1

Related forms
pri·or·ship, noun
sub·pri·or·ship, noun

Pri·or

   [prahy-er]
noun
Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To prior
Collins
World English Dictionary
prior1 (ˈpraɪə)
 
—adj
1.  (prenominal) previous; preceding
2.  prior to before; until
 
—n
3.  statistics a prior probability
 
[C18: from Latin: previous]

prior2 (ˈpraɪə)
 
—n
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
 
[C11: from Late Latin: head, from Latin (adj): previous, from Old Latin pri before]

Prior (ˈpraɪə)
 
—n
Matthew. 1664--1721, English poet and diplomat, noted for his epigrammatic occasional verse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

prior
1714, from L. prior "former, superior," comparative of Old L. pri "before" (see prime), related to L. præ "before" (see pre-).
EXPAND

prior
"superior officer of a religious house or order," 1093, from L. prior "former, superior" (see prior (adj.)).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

prior definition


  1. n.
    a prior arrest. (Underworld.) : This guy has about fifteen priors.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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