prior

Etymology 1

From Latin prior, comparative of Old Latin *pri (“before”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“beyond”), *pró (“before”). Parallel to English former, as comparative form from same Proto-Indo-European root, whence also fore (thence before).

adj

1. Advance; previous; coming before.
   I had no prior knowledge you were coming.
2. Former, previous.
   His prior residence was smaller than his current one.

adv

1. (colloquial) Previously.
   The doctor had known three months prior.
   From the opening shots of the anonymous young Winterfell boy rushing to catch a glimpse of Jon Snow and Queen Daenerys Targaryen, hearkening back to those moments of the very first episode in which Arya rushed to do the same with an approaching King Robert Baratheon, the series is calling back to its beginning, suggesting (at least for now) that the wheel continues to turn, sending us back into a pattern begun seven seasons prior. 14 April 2019, Alex McLevy, “Winter is Here on Game of Thrones’ Final Season Premiere (Newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2020-12-18

noun

1. (US, law enforcement) A previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone's record.
   ‘And a little later we get the routine report on his prints from Washington, and he's got a prior back in Indiana, attempted hold-up six years ago.’ 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 53
2. (statistics, Bayesian inference) A prior probability distribution, one based on information or belief before additional data is collected.
   Coordinate term: posterior
3. (rationalist community, by extension) A belief supported by previous evidence or experience that one can use to make inferences about the future.
   During each of these touchpoints, I'm asking myself where and how my thesis on each holding could be wrong. I'm checking each data point as it comes in against my priors. I'm comparing management behavior to what I would be doing if I were in their shoes. 2022-07-29, “Maran Partners Fund Q2 2022 Letter”, in Seeking Alpha
   The votes are in, and our priors are confirmed. The truth is that midterms are nearly as predictable as death and taxes: The party that controls the White House always loses and often badly at that. 2022-11-08, Alex Shephard, “The Cards Were Always Stacked Against Democrats”, in New Republic
   Mostly because the evidence confirms all my priors. 2022-12-06, David Harsanyi, “Why Elon Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ Matter”, in The Federalist

Etymology 2

From Middle English priour, prior, from Old English prior, Old French prior, and their etymon Latin prior.

noun

1. A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.
2. (historical) A chief magistrate in Italy.