PRIORS
Noun
priors
plural of prior
Source: Wiktionary
PRIOR
Pri"or, a. Etym: [L. prior former, previous, better, superior;
compar. corresponding to primus first, and pro for. See Former, and
cf. Prime, a., and Pre-, Pro-.]
Definition: 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.
Pri"or, n. Etym: [OE. priour, OF. priour, prior, priur, F. prieur,
from L. prior former, superior. See Prior, a.] (Eccl.)
Definition: The superior of a priory, and next below an abbot in dignity.
Conventical, 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition