prior

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɹaɪ.ə/
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• Canada, General-American: /ˈpɹaɪ.(ə)ɹ/
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• California, Southern: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australian: /ˈpɹɑe.ə/
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• New-Zealand: /ˈpɹaɪ.ə/
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• New-Zealand: [ˈpɹɑe̯.ə]
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• rhymes with -aɪə(ɹ)
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• CMU ARPABET: P R AY1 ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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.

From Middle English Prior, Priur (surname), from Middle English prior, priour (“prior”). More at prior.

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.

103 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: предишен (predišen) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Bulgarian: предшестващ (predšestvašt) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Chagatai: بورونغی (bwrwnġy) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Chagatai: اولکی (ʾwlky) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Chinese Mandarin: 事前 (shìqián) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Chinese Mandarin: 預先 /预先 (yùxiān) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Finnish: edellinen — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• French: préalable — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Galician: previo — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• German: vorausgehend — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• German: früher — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• German: vorherig — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Italian: previo — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Japanese: 先の (saki no) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Japanese: 先んずる (sakinzuru) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Japanese: 優先する (yūsen suru) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Latin: prior — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Persian: قبلی (qabli) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Portuguese: prévio — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Romanian: înainte de — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Romanian: dinainte — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Russian: предше́ствовавший (predšéstvovavšij) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Russian: предше́ствующий (predšéstvujuščij) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Russian: пре́жний (préžnij) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Turkish: önceki — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Uyghur: ئاۋۋالقى (awwalqi) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Uyghur: بۇرۇنقى (burunqi) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Uyghur: بالدۇرقى (baldurqi) — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Uzbek: avvalgi — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Uzbek: burungi — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Uzbek: ilgarigi — coming before in importance, order, or time — see also earlier, former, previous, anterior, antecedent, precedent
• Finnish: tärkeämpi — more important or significant
• Catalan: prèvia — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Chinese Mandarin: 先驗 /先验 (xiānyàn) — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Finnish: priorinen — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• French: a priori — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• German: a priori — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Italian: a priori — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Japanese: 事前 (jizen) — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Korean: 사전 (sajeon) — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Portuguese: a priori — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Russian: априо́рный (apriórnyj) — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Turkish: önsel — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Ukrainian: апріо́рний (apriórnyj) — of the probability of an event: determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it
• Finnish: priori — prior probability distribution
• Finnish: priorijakauma — prior probability distribution
• Finnish: priori — in the rationalsphere: belief supported by previous evidence or experience that one can use to make inferences about the future
• Bulgarian: досие (dosie) — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• Chinese Mandarin: 前科 (qiánkē) — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• Finnish: aiempi rangaistus — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• Finnish: aiempi tuomio — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• French: antécédents — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• French: casier (judiciaire) — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• German: Vorstrafe — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• Romanian: antecedente — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• Spanish: antecedentes — previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone’s criminal record
• Belarusian: прыёр (pryjór) — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Breton: priol — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Bulgarian: прио́р (priór) — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Bulgarian: помощник игумен (pomoštnik igumen) — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Catalan: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Czech: převor — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Danish: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Dutch: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Esperanto: prioro — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Esperanto: ĉefabato — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Estonian: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Finnish: priori — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• French: prieur — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Galician: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Georgian: პრიორი (ṗriori) — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• German: Prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Hungarian: perjel — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Icelandic: príor — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Ido: prioro — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Irish: prióir — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Italian: priore — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Latin: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Limburgish: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Norwegian Bokmål: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Polish: przeor — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Portuguese: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Russian: прио́р (priór) — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Russian: настоя́тель (nastojátelʹ) — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Spanish: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Swedish: prior — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Ukrainian: пріо́р (priór) — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Urdu: پرائر — in an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy
• Finnish: priori — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• French: prieur — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• French: prieure — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• Portuguese: prior — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• Portuguese: priora — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• Portuguese: prioresa — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• Spanish: prior — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• Spanish: priora — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• Swedish: prior — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• Swedish: priorinna — head of a priory, or some other minor or smaller monastery
• Finnish: priori — head friar of a house of friars
• Finnish: priori — head of the Arrouaisian, Augustinian, and formerly Premonstratensian religious orders
• Finnish: priori — honorary position held by a priest in some cathedrals
• Finnish: priori — chief magistrate of the Republic of Florence
• Finnish: priori — elected head of a guild of craftsmen or merchants in some countries in Europe and South America