Former vs. Prior

Formeradjective

Previous.

Formeradjective

First of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun.

Formernoun

Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder.

Formernoun

An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die.

Formernoun

Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).

Formernoun

One who forms; a maker; a creator.

Formernoun

A shape around which an article is to be shaped, molded, woven wrapped, pasted, or otherwise constructed.

Formeradjective

Preceding in order of time; antecedent; previous; prior; earlier; hence, ancient; long past.

Formeradjective

Near the beginning; preceeding; as, the former part of a discourse or argument.

Formeradjective

Earlier, as between two things mentioned together; first mentioned.

Formernoun

the first of two or the first mentioned of two;

Formeradjective

referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several);

Formeradjective

belonging to some prior time;

Formeradjective

(used especially of persons) of the immediate past;

Formeradjective

of the distant past;

Former

A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature.

Prioradjective

Advance; previous; coming before.

Prioradjective

Former, previous.

Prioradverb

(colloquial) Previously.

Priornoun

A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.

Priornoun

(historical) A chief magistrate in Italy.

Priornoun

A previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone's record.

Priornoun

(statistics) In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution, one based on information or belief before additional data is collected.

Prioradjective

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.

Prioradjective

First, precedent, or superior in the order of cognition, reason or generality, origin, development, rank, etc.

Priornoun

The superior of a priory, and next below an abbot in dignity.

Priornoun

a chief magistrate, as in the republic of Florence in the middle ages.

Priornoun

a prior conviction; - said of an accused criminal.

Priornoun

the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot

Prioradjective

earlier in time

Prior

Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior, usually lower in rank than an abbot or abbess. Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior.