prior

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈpɹaɪ.(ə)ɹ/ UK /ˈpɹaɪ.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #5085

Meanings

1

adj
Coming before in time; earlier or previous.

His prior job had longer hours but lower pay.
2

adv
Before a particular time (usually followed by 'to').

Please arrive ten minutes prior to the meeting.
3

noun
A senior monk who is head or deputy head of a religious house.

The prior welcomed the visitors at the monastery gate.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · coming before in time;... earlier previous former past

2 adv · before a particular time... previously before

3 noun · a senior monk who is head... provost

Word family

Forms priors

Derived forms hyperpriorpriorableprioracyprioralpriorateprioressprioristicpriorlypriorshipsubprior

Related forms priority priory

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English priour, prior (“head or deputy head of a monastery or other religious house; predecessor; superior”), from Old English prior, from Anglo-Norman priour, prior, priur, and Old French prior, priur (modern French prieur), and directly from their etymon Latin prior (“ancestor; predecessor”) (whence Late Latin prior (“superior of a religious house or order; abbot; deputy abbot; head of a guild”)), a noun use of prior (“former, previous, prior”, adjective): see etymology 1.

priour Middle English prior Old English

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Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# prior

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, adv, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpɹaɪ.(ə)ɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpɹaɪ.ə/
**Frequency rank:** 5085

## Meanings
1. Coming before in time; earlier or previous.
2. Before a particular time (usually followed by 'to').
3. A senior monk who is head or deputy head of a religious house.

## Examples
- His prior job had longer hours but lower pay.
- Please arrive ten minutes prior to the meeting.
- The prior welcomed the visitors at the monastery gate.

## Derived Forms
- hyperprior
- priorable
- prioracy
- prioral
- priorate
- prioress
- prioristic
- priorly
- priorship
- subprior

## Related Forms
- priority
- priory

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: priour
- Root: prior

## Etymology
From Middle English priour, prior (“head or deputy head of a monastery or other religious house; predecessor; superior”), from Old English prior, from Anglo-Norman priour, prior, priur, and Old French prior, priur (modern French prieur), and directly from their etymon Latin prior (“ancestor; predecessor”) (whence Late Latin prior (“superior of a religious house or order; abbot; deputy abbot; head of a guild”)), a noun use of prior (“former, previous, prior”, adjective): see etymology 1.

## AI Etymology
Prior comes from Middle English priour, prior (“head or deputy head of a monastery or other religious house; predecessor; superior”), from Old English prior, from Anglo-Norman priour, prior, priur, and Old French prior, priur (modern French prieur), and directly from their etymon Latin prior (“ancestor; predecessor”) (whence Late Latin prior (“superior of a religious house or order; abbot; deputy abbot; head of a guild”)), a noun use of prior (“former, previous, prior”, adjective): see etymology 1. In present-day English it covers coming before in time; earlier or previous, before a particular time (usually followed by 'to'), and a senior monk who is head or deputy head of a religious house. The wider family includes derived forms such as hyperprior, priorable, prioracy, prioral, priorate and related forms such as priority, priory.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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