Definitions for prior
ˈpraɪ ərpri·or

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 7 votes

1. prioradjective

   the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot

2. anterior, prior(a)adjective

   earlier in time

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.4 / 9 votes

1. priornoun

   A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.

2. priornoun

   A previous criminal offense on someone's record.

3. priornoun

   In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution.

4. prioradverb

   Previously.

   The doctor had known three months prior.

5. prioradjective

   Of that which comes before, in advance.

   I had no prior knowledge you were coming.

6. prioradjective

   former, previous

   His prior residence was smaller than his current one.

7. Etymology: From prior

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PRIORadjective

   Former; being before something else; antecedent; anterior.

   Etymology: prior, Lat.

   Whenever tempted to do or approve any thing contrary to the duties we are enjoined, let us reflect that we have a prior and superior obligation to the commands of Christ. John Rogers.

2. Priornoun

   Etymology: prieur, Fr.

   1. The head of a convent of monks, inferior in dignity to an abbot.

   Neither she, nor any other, besides the prior of the convent, knew any thing of his name. Joseph Addison, Spectator.

   2.Prior is such a person, as, in some churches, presides over others in the same churches. John Ayliffe Parergon.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Prior

   Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be lower in rank than the abbey's abbot or abbess.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Prior

   Prior refers to something that comes before or takes precedence over something else. It can be used as a noun to refer to a previous occurrence or condition, or as an adjective to describe something that precedes or is done in advance of another event or action. It can also be used as a verb to indicate that something is given priority or preference over other things.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.8 / 6 votes

1. Prioradjective

   preceding in the order of time; former; antecedent; anterior; previous; as, a prior discovery; prior obligation; -- used elliptically in cases like the following: he lived alone [in the time] prior to his marriage

2. Prioradjective

   the superior of a priory, and next below an abbot in dignity

3. Etymology: [OE. priour, OF. priour, prior, priur, F. prieur, from L. prior former, superior. See Prior, a.]

WikidataRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. Prior

   Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for "earlier, first", with several notable uses.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Prior

   prī′or, adj. former: previous: coming before in time.—n. the head of a priory: (in Italy) formerly a chief magistrate:—fem. Prī′oress.—ns. Prī′orāte, Prī′orship, the government or office of a prior: the time during which a prior is in office; Prior′ity, state of being prior or first in time, place, or rank: preference; Prī′ory, a convent of either sex, under a prior or prioress, and next in rank below an abbey. [L. prior, former, comp. from pro-, in front.]

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PRIOR

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Prior is ranked #5154 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Prior surname appeared 6,787 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 would have the surname Prior.
   
   87.6% or 5,950 total occurrences were White.
   5.8% or 395 total occurrences were Black.
   3% or 204 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   1.9% or 134 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   0.8% or 54 total occurrences were Asian.
   0.7% or 50 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'prior' in Adjectives Frequency: #889

How to pronounce prior?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say prior in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of prior in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of prior in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of prior in a Sentence

1. Mayor Adams ':

   In this new and unforeseen reality, where we expect thousands more to arrive every week going forward, the city’s system is nearing its breaking point, as a result, the city’s prior practices, which never contemplated the bussing of thousands of people into New York City, must be reassessed.

2. The Case:

   Old associates of the housepainter/alleged serial killer claim that, a few years prior to Poste’s 2018 death at 80, he had quietly given away his weapons, pistol parts, gunpowder, bullets and shell casings – more than a thousand, involving 25 different calibers – to his favorite locals, and most of these peculiar ‘gifts’ have remained in basements and closets, untouched, ever since.

3. Julia Herz:

   It’s not guaranteed that growth will continue, [ but ] a lot less people lived in this country in 1873( the prior record for breweries), if you had the same number of breweries per person, we could support more than 30,000. I call it Craft Beer 3.0. The big boys( mega-brewers) want in and are presenting their brands as Craft Beer 3.0 and buying up craft brewers.

4. Francis Thomas:

   I was eating the wrong foods. I’ve taken more of a hands-on approachto what I eat now, the way I exercise … I didn’t exercise much prior.

5. Andrea Binder:

   Throughout 2022, price increases were pretty extensive — all the way up to 20 % and almost 30 % price hikes versus the year prior — across the pet department, in early 2023, we have started to see those start to taper off a little bit. Prices are still increasing but at a lower rate than they were in 2022.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=prior
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Prior
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=prior
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prior
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prior
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=prior
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=prior
9. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html