WordWeb Online

1. Earlier in time
   - anterior

1. The head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot
    
2. (law) a previous recorded criminal offence
    
3. (statistics) the probability distribution of a variate before any new data is known

Sounds like: prier, pryer

Derived forms: priors

See also: antecedent, priority, priorship

Type of: superior

Encyclopedia: Prior