Definitions for prior
ˈpraɪ ərpri·or

Princeton's WordNet(3.00 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. prior(adj)

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

2. anterior, prior(a)(adj)

   earlier in time

Wiktionary(3.44 / 9 votes)Rate this definition:

1. prior(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From prior

2. prior(Noun)

   A previous criminal offense on someone's record.

   Etymology: From prior

3. prior(Noun)

   In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution.

   Etymology: From prior

4. prior(Adverb)

   Previously.

   The doctor had known three months prior.

   Etymology: From prior

5. prior(Adjective)

   Of that which comes before, in advance.

   I had no prior knowledge you were coming.

   Etymology: From prior

6. prior(Adjective)

   former, previous

   His prior residence was smaller than his current one.

   Etymology: From prior

Webster Dictionary(4.20 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Prior(adj)

   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

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

2. Prior(adj)

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

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

Freebase(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Prior

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

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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.]

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

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

How to pronounce prior?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

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. Mita Sanghavi Goel:

   I suspect that the appeal of password-protected sites are their convenience, their ability to provide the exact test results and the opportunity to compare current and prior test results, however, if the findings are abnormal( e.g. cancer testing) or sensitive in nature( e.g. STI testing of one member of a couple), preferences may change.

2. Pavel Stoev:

   Prior to our study, there were only four species of millipedes described from Burmese amber, which is known to be among the oldest and richest amber deposits of Cretaceous fauna.

3. Mike Baker:

   British intelligence had a handle on Emwazi's identity for some time prior to the public release of the identity, they've been working the target for awhile, mapping out his associates in the UK, understanding his motivations and path to radicalization and working with Michael Harkins.

4. Sukrit Vijayakar:

   We have to believe that the COVID-19 virus will be contained sooner rather than later. I'm optimistic we should see some positive news by mid next week at the latest, subsequently, the sudden drop in demand will rise back just as suddenly, to at least 75% to 90% of prior levels. The rise back will be spurred by current low prices.

5. Ted Cruz:

   In most prior elections, Iowa and New Hampshire split. They go for different candidates, south Carolina historically has had the role of picking presidents.

Images & Illustrations of prior

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