prior: Prior the ecclesiastical rank [11] and prior ‘previous’ [18] are ultimately the same word. Both go back to Latin prior ‘former, superior’, a comparative formation based on the Old Latin preposition pri ‘before’. This came in postclassical times to be used as a noun meaning ‘superior officer, administrator’, and it was taken over as such into the terminology of the monastic foundations.
prior (adj.)
"earlier," 1714, from Latin prior "former, previous, first;" figuratively "superior, better;" as a noun "forefather; superior rank;" comparative of Old Latin pri "before," from PIE *prai-, *prei-, from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per).
prior (n.)
"superior officer of a religious house or order," late Old English, from Medieval Latin prior "superior officer," noun use of Latin adjective meaning "former, superior" (see prior (adj.)). As short for prior arrest, by 1990, American English.
雙語例句
1. Prior to his Japan trip, he went to New York.
在去日本之前，他去了紐約。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Just phone in your order three or more days prior to departure.
在出發(fā)的三天之前打電話預(yù)訂即可。
來自柯林斯例句
3. For the prior year, they reported net income of $1.1 million.
他們公布上一年度純收入為110萬美元。
來自柯林斯例句
4. Although not essential, some prior knowledge of statistics is desirable.