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What does prior mean?

Definitions for prior
ˈpraɪ ərpri·or

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word prior.

Princeton's WordNet

  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

Wiktionary

  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 Dictionary

  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.

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

Wikipedia

  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.

ChatGPT

  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 Dictionary

  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.]

Wikidata

  1. Prior

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

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  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 Records

  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

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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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. Lydia Cisaruk:

    Before the acquisition, this matter was addressed by the franchise owner/operator in conjunction with the licensing authorities, staffing changes were made prior to the school coming under corporate ownership last year.

  2. Joseph Song:

    Based on our read, 22 states are expecting approximately 2.5 million unemployment insurance claims, up from the prior week's official nonseasonally adjusted figures of 1.4 million.

  3. George Hobica:

    Airline staff have been given a lot more power and have become policemen in the skies since 9-11, i think many are abusing that authority. Most of your rights and company policies—including when you are entitled to compensation for your inconvenience— are spelled out in the conditions of carriage which can be found on an airline’s website. The lengthy terms are filled with jargon and legalese, though they’re still worth eyeballing to understand the basics. Here are key reasons why an airline can bump you or otherwise make travel difficult for you: 1. The airline priced tickets for this flight too low.If a carrier realizes through its electronic reservation system that a non-stop flight fills too fast, that could indicate the ticket fares are too cheap. In such a case, your flight could be switched from a non-stop to a connecting flight. 2. The air marshal needs your seat. Because air marshals protect the public, they are sometimes seated in first class without prior warning. If one of them shows up and needs your seat, you can be bumped, reassigned to another seat, or put on the next available flight. And you won’t even get an explanation; the government doesn’t want you to blab that there’s an air marshal on board. 3. The carrier abandons the route. Consolidation within the industry has prompted some airlines to cut back on the number of available flights. Some, such as Allegiant Air and Frontier, have also abandoned routes that are no longer profitable. An airline should be required to put you on another carrier for the price you paid, says Hobica. But that’s not the case.

  4. Lori Tremmel Freeman:

    They'll require these individuals to attest that they have received at least one dose of measles, polio and Covid vaccinations prior to coming into the country. If they have not, they must receive the vaccination abroad from the country that they are in.

  5. Neil Wilkinson:

    Given its outstanding track record in executing prior transactions, we expect large cost synergies and rapid deleveraging of the balance sheet will allow further transactions a few years down the line, which will enable AB InBev to perpetuate its growth story.

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Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for prior

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