prior

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Coming before in time; earlier or previous.

   His prior job had longer hours but lower pay.

2. 2
   adv

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

   Please arrive ten minutes prior to the meeting.

3. 3
   noun

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

   The prior welcomed the visitors at the monastery gate.

Common collocations

• prior notice Adjective + noun

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.

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