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.

2. prior(Noun)

   A previous criminal offense on someone's record.

3. prior(Noun)

   In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution.

4. prior(Adverb)

   Previously.

   The doctor had known three months prior.

5. prior(Adjective)

   Of that which comes before, in advance.

   I had no prior knowledge you were coming.

6. prior(Adjective)

   former, previous

   His prior residence was smaller than his current one.

Origin: From prior

Webster Dictionary(4.50 / 4 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

2. Prior(adj)

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

Origin: [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. County Police Cooperative:

   17 years of prior police experience.

2. Pastor Mike Olive:

   It was pretty shocking, we had no prior warning.

3. Rick Nichols:

   I’ve got a sense of brotherhood with prior military.

4. Anthony Marchese:

   Prior administrations didn’t want to tackle the issue.

5. Ralph Waldo Emerson:

   Fate is nothing but the deeds committed in a prior state of existence.

Images & Illustrations of prior

Popularity rank by frequency of use