prior.
Coming before in order or time; earlier, former, previous.
Meaning & usage
Coming before in order or time; earlier, former, previous.
His prior residence was smaller than his current one.
I had no prior knowledge you were coming.
More important or significant.
Chiefly in prior probability: of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it, before additional data is collected.
Where this word comes from
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin prior (“earlier, former, previous, prior; in front; (figurative) better, superior”), from Proto-Italic *priōs (“earlier, previous”, literally “more before”), ultimately from *pri (“before”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pró (“leading to, toward”) and its etymon *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + *-jōs (suffix forming comparative adjectives). Doublet of before, fore, and former. The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.
Chiefly followed by to: in advance, before, previously.
The doctor had known three months prior.
Where this word comes from
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin prior (“earlier, former, previous, prior; in front; (figurative) better, superior”), from Proto-Italic *priōs (“earlier, previous”, literally “more before”), ultimately from *pri (“before”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pró (“leading to, toward”) and its etymon *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + *-jōs (suffix forming comparative adjectives). Doublet of before, fore, and former. The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.
A prior probability distribution, that is, one determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it, before additional data is collected.
A prior probability distribution, that is, one determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it, before additional data is collected. In the rationalsphere: a belief supported by previous evidence or experience that one can use to make inferences about the future.
A previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone's criminal record.
Where this word comes from
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin prior (“earlier, former, previous, prior; in front; (figurative) better, superior”), from Proto-Italic *priōs (“earlier, previous”, literally “more before”), ultimately from *pri (“before”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pró (“leading to, toward”) and its etymon *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + *-jōs (suffix forming comparative adjectives). Doublet of before, fore, and former. The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.
A high-ranking member of a religious house or religious order. In an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy; a prior claustral.
A high-ranking member of a religious house or religious order. The head of a priory (“a monastery which is usually a branch of an abbey”), or some other minor or smaller monastery; a prior conventual.
A high-ranking member of a religious house or religious order. The head friar of a house of friars.
A high-ranking member of a religious house or religious order. The head of the Arrouaisian, Augustinian, and formerly Premonstratensian religious orders.
A high-ranking member of a religious house or religious order. An honorary position held by a priest in some cathedrals.
A chief magistrate of the Republic of Florence (1115–1569) in what is now Italy.
The elected head of a guild of craftsmen or merchants in some countries in Europe and South America.
A person who is the earliest or most prominent in a field; the chief.
The head of a company.
Where this word comes from
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.
Try it on your idea.
prior has 5 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.
These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.
Explore the name generatorA word with a source.
Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.