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.]

FreebaseRate 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. John Sloan Dickey:

   The American male at the peak of his physical powers and appetites, driving 160 big white horses across the scenes of an increasingly open society, with weekend money in his pocket and with little prior exposure to trouble and tragedy, personifies an accident going to happen.

2. Sarah Paulson:

   I mean [ Fletcher ] won an Academy Award doing it, so there's no where to go but down, i absolutely feel that pressure because I have an enormous reverence for Louis Fletcher and for Louise Fletcher portrayal in that movie and for the movie itself. This story stands on its own in Sixth Sense that we are starting many years prior to when we meet Nurse Ratched in the movie' Cuckoos Nest,' so I know that I'm not going to be trying to emulate what she did because this is prior to her doing what she did in the movie. I have a little bit of leeway there, but I'm certainly thinking about it.

3. Haywood Brown:

   It became clear that early elective delivery prior to 39 weeks was associated with higher neonatal morbidity and mortality. As such, quality initiatives around early elective delivery were discouraged and hospitals adapted guidelines that discouraged elective delivery prior to 39 weeks.

4. The FAA:

   An unsafe condition exists that requires the immediate adoption of this AD without providing an opportunity for public comments prior to adoption, the FAA has found that the risk to the flying public justifies waiving notice and comment prior to adoption of this rule because certain fan blades must be inspected, and, if needed, replaced before further flight.

5. Hans Koenigsmann:

   Just prior, before we wanted to fire the (thrusters), there was an anomaly and the vehicle was destroyed, there were no injuries. SpaceX had taken all safety measures prior to this test, as we always do.

Popularity rank by frequency of use