[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

prior \pri"or\, n.
   a prior conviction; -- said of an accused criminal.
   informal
   pjc

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

prior \pri"or\, a. l. prior former, previous, better, superior;
   compar. corresponding to primus first, and pro for. see
   former, and cf. prime, a., and pre-, pro-.
   1. 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.
      1913 webster

   2. first, precedent, or superior in the order of cognition,
      reason or generality, origin, development, rank, etc.
      webster 1913 suppl.
see also:
former prime pre- pro- 

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

prior \pri"or\, n. oe. priour, of. priour, prior, priur, f.
   prieur, from l. prior former, superior. see prior, a.
   1. eccl. the superior of a priory, and next below an abbot
      in dignity.
      1913 webster

   2. a chief magistrate, as in the republic of florence in the
      middle ages. --rhud
      pjc

   conventical prior, or conventual prior, a prior who is at
      the head of his own house. see the note under priory.

   claustral prior, an official next in rank to the abbot in a
      monastery; prior of the cloisters.
      1913 webster
see also:
prior conventical prior conventual prior priory claustral prior 

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

prior
     adj : earlier in time syn: anterior, priora
     n : the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next
         below the abbot
see also:
anterior priora 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

64 moby thesaurus words for "prior":
   ahead, ancient, antecedent, anterior, anticipatory, before, chief,
   ci-devant, earlier, early, elder, erstwhile, ex, exordial, first,
   fore, foregoing, foremost, former, forward, heading, headmost,
   immemorial, inaugural, initiatory, last, late, latest, leading,
   old, olden, older, once, onetime, past, precedent, preceding,
   precessional, precurrent, precursory, preexistent, prefatory,
   prehistoric, preliminary, preludial, prelusive, preparatory,
   prevenient, previous, previous to, prime, primeval, primitive,
   prior to, proemial, propaedeutic, quondam, recent, senior,
   sometime, then, till, until, whilom

Prior >> P Words
Prior, definition of term: Prior
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