prior
noun/ˈpraɪə(r)/
/ˈpraɪər/
(feminine prioress
/ˈpraɪərəs/, /ˌpraɪəˈres/
/ˈpraɪərəs/
)- a person who is in charge of a group of monks or nuns living in a priory
- (in an abbey) a person next in rank below an abbot or abbess
Word Originnoun late Old English, from a medieval Latin noun use of Latin prior ‘elder, former’, related to prae ‘before’.
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prior