PRIOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does prior mean? 

• PRIOR (noun)
  The noun PRIOR has 1 sense:

1. the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot

  Familiarity information: PRIOR used as a noun is very rare.

• PRIOR (adjective)
  The adjective PRIOR has 1 sense:

1. earlier in time

  Familiarity information: PRIOR used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PRIOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("prior" is a kind of...):

superior (the head of a religious community)

Derivation:

priorship (the office of prior)

• PRIOR (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Earlier in time

Synonyms:

anterior; prior

Similar:

antecedent (preceding in time or order)

Derivation:

priority (preceding in time)

 Context examples 

To be done prior to eating dinner.

(Before Dinner, NCI Thesaurus)

There is no history of prior cytotoxic therapy for an unrelated disorder, and there is absence of the cytogenetic abnormalities that are present in acute myeloid leukemia with recurrent genetic abnormalities.

(Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Myelodysplasia-Related Changes, NCI Thesaurus)

To be done prior to eating breakfast.

(Before Breakfast, NCI Thesaurus)

If you are self-employed, the eleventh house also relates to profits made from previous efforts, specifically, during the prior year (2019).

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Number of prior chemotherapy regimens: If a patient has received a chemotherapy regimen, provide the number of different single or multi agent chemotherapy regimens the patient has received.

(Number of Prior Chemotherapies, NCI Thesaurus)

Prior research has shown TMAO enhances cholesterol deposits into cells of the artery wall.

(Study links frequent red meat consumption to high levels of chemical associated with heart disease, National Institutes of Health)

Prior to this research, nothing was known about the genes that make sorgoleone, Baerson says.

(Transferring Sorghum’s Weed-Killing Power to Rice, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

On the day prior to the first diuretic treatment (14 days of life), 56 percent of the diuretic group were sicker and on ventilator support, compared to 11 percent of the non-diuretic group.

(Diuretic therapy for extremely preterm infants does not alleviate respiratory problems, National Institutes of Health)

Prior studies on the diet have shown potential for alleviating symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease multiple sclerosis, increasing the efficacy of chemotherapy for cancer treatments, and decreasing visceral fat.

(Fasting-Mimicking Diet May Reverse Diabetes, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The medical history dataset includes the subject's prior history at the start of the trial.

(Medical History Domain, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)