Prior in Different Languages
Discover 'Prior' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'prior' carries great significance in many cultures and languages, denoting something that comes before in time, order, or importance. Its translation varies across the globe, reflecting the rich linguistic diversity of our world.
Historically, the concept of 'prior' has been crucial in various fields such as law, religion, and philosophy. For instance, in monastic communities, the 'prior' is a high-ranking official who ranks just below the abbot. This term has been used since the early Christian church, showcasing its long-standing cultural importance.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'prior' in different languages can enhance cross-cultural communication and foster global understanding. For example, in Spanish, 'prior' translates to 'prioridad,' while in French, it is 'précédence.' In German, the word 'Vorrang' captures the essence of 'prior,' and in Japanese, '先行' (saki go) is the equivalent term.
Stay tuned to explore more translations of 'prior' in various languages and cultures!
Prior
Prior in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | voorafgaande | ||
| The Afrikaans word "voorafgaande" is the direct translation of the Dutch word "voorafgaande", which also means "prior". | |||
| Amharic | በፊት | ||
| The word "በፊት" can also mean "in front of" or "beforehand" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kafin | ||
| In Hausa, the word "kafin" can also refer to the front or the beginning of something. | |||
| Igbo | tupu | ||
| In the Nsukka dialect of Igbo, the term "tupu" also signifies "later". | |||
| Malagasy | mialoha | ||
| The Malagasy word "mialoha" also means "older sibling". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | patsogolo | ||
| The etymology of "patsogolo" in Chichewa derives from "patsogo," which refers to the "foremost" part or the "front end" of something. | |||
| Shona | pamberi | ||
| Pamberi is derived from the Proto-Bantu *pa-mbela which means 'to protect, defend or lead'. | |||
| Somali | ka hor | ||
| The word "ka hor" in Somali can also refer to "preceding" or "former". | |||
| Sesotho | pele | ||
| Derived from Proto-Bantu *pɛ́lɛ́ 'a first one, leader'. | |||
| Swahili | kabla | ||
| Kabla, meaning 'prior' in Swahili, is a compound word formed by the prefixes 'ka-' and '-bla', indicating future/habitual action. | |||
| Xhosa | ngaphambili | ||
| The word "ngaphambili" in Xhosa derives from the verb "phambila," meaning "to go before." | |||
| Yoruba | ṣaaju | ||
| The word "ṣaaju" in Yoruba also means "in front of" or "ahead of". | |||
| Zulu | ngaphambi | ||
| The noun 'ngaphambi' can also be used to refer to the front or exterior of something. | |||
| Bambara | sa ni | ||
| Ewe | do ŋgɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | mbere | ||
| Lingala | liboso | ||
| Luganda | bukyali | ||
| Sepedi | pele ga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ansa na | ||
Prior in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قبل | ||
| In Arabic, "قبل" also signifies "before something", "in front of", or "facing". | |||
| Hebrew | קוֹדֵם | ||
| "קוֹדֵם" means "prior" in Hebrew, but this word is also the biblical ancestor of the "code" in English. | |||
| Pashto | مخکې | ||
| مخکې (makhke) is etymologically related to the Avestan word "maēxša" and the Sanskrit word "makṣa" and the Proto-Indo-European root "*maq-", meaning "to produce" or "to bring forth". | |||
| Arabic | قبل | ||
| In Arabic, "قبل" also signifies "before something", "in front of", or "facing". | |||
Prior in Western European Languages
| Albanian | paraprak | ||
| The word "paraprak" originates from the Albanian "pra" (before) and is also used to denote "earlier" or "old". | |||
| Basque | aldez aurretik | ||
| The Basque word "aldez aurretik" literally means "in front of something". | |||
| Catalan | anterior | ||
| The word "anterior" in Catalan, meaning "prior" or "before," derives from the Latin "ante," denoting "in front" or "beforehand." | |||
| Croatian | prior | ||
| The word 'priror' can also refer to a monk who follows a rule but not monastic vows. | |||
| Danish | forudgående | ||
| Forudgående is the present participle of the verb 'at forudgå' (to precede) and is also used as the equivalent of the English word 'previous' for things that happened earlier in time. | |||
| Dutch | voorafgaand | ||
| The word "voorafgaand" in Dutch also means "before" or "in advance". | |||
| English | prior | ||
| The word 'prior' comes from the Latin word 'prior,' meaning 'earlier' or 'former'. | |||
| French | avant | ||
| The French word 'avant' comes from the Latin preposition 'ab ante', which literally means 'from before' and can also signify position, time, or order. | |||
| Frisian | earder | ||
| Frisian "earder" means "prior" but also "formerly" and "previous". | |||
| Galician | anterior | ||
| In Galician, "anterior" can also mean "foremost" or "in front of". | |||
| German | vor | ||
| The word "vor" in German can also mean "before" or "in front of", derived from Old High German "fora" and akin to English "fore". | |||
| Icelandic | áður | ||
| The Icelandic word "áður" (prior) has alternate meanings including "previously" or "beforehand". | |||
| Irish | roimh ré | ||
| The Irish phrase "roimh ré" derives from the root word "ré" meaning "time", suggesting a concept of "being before time" or "primacy". | |||
| Italian | prima | ||
| In Italian, "prima" also means "first" and derives from the Latin "primum". | |||
| Luxembourgish | virdrun | ||
| The word 'virdrun' in Luxembourgish is derived from the Latin word 'prior', meaning 'one who goes before'. | |||
| Maltese | qabel | ||
| Maltese "qabel" is ultimately derived from Semitic roots cognate to those of the Arabic word "qabl" and the Hebrew word "lifnei". | |||
| Norwegian | i forkant | ||
| The Norwegian word "i forkant" can also mean "in advance" or "ahead of time". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | anterior | ||
| In Portuguese, 'anterior' can also refer to the front or forward side of something, or to a previous part or section. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | roimhe | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "roimhe" also means "before" and is cognate with the Old Irish word "roime". | |||
| Spanish | anterior | ||
| In Spanish, "anterior" can also refer to the front or forward part of something. | |||
| Swedish | tidigare | ||
| "Tidigare" also means "former" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | ymlaen llaw | ||
Prior in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прыёр | ||
| The word 'прыёр' is also used in Belarusian to refer to the person in charge of a monastery. | |||
| Bosnian | prior | ||
| The word 'prior' comes from the Latin word 'prior', which means 'former' or 'earlier' | |||
| Bulgarian | предшественик | ||
| The word "предшественик" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "предшествовати", meaning "to precede". | |||
| Czech | předchozí | ||
| The Czech word 'předchozí' also means 'preceding', 'previous' and 'former'. | |||
| Estonian | enne | ||
| The Estonian word “enne” also means “before” and “earlier”. | |||
| Finnish | ennen | ||
| Though "ennen" means "prior", it also means "never" or "not" in some Eastern dialects of Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | előzetes | ||
| The Hungarian word "előzetes" can also mean "trailer" or "preview" in the context of films and television shows. | |||
| Latvian | pirms | ||
| "Pirms" also means "in front of" or "before". | |||
| Lithuanian | prieš | ||
| The word "prieš" can also mean "against" or "before" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | претходна | ||
| The Macedonian word "претходна" can also refer to the previous day or a previous period of time. | |||
| Polish | wcześniejszy | ||
| Wcześniejszy can also mean "rather" or "sooner". | |||
| Romanian | anterior | ||
| In Romanian, "anterior" is derived from Latin "ante" meaning "before" and has an additional meaning of "front" or "anterior part" | |||
| Russian | предшествующий | ||
| The word "предшествующий" in Russian also means "antecedent" in logic. | |||
| Serbian | пре | ||
| The word "пре" (prior) in Serbian can also mean "too" or "very", as in "превише" (too much). | |||
| Slovak | pred | ||
| The Slovak word "pred" has multiple meanings, including "prior," "before," and "in front of." | |||
| Slovenian | predhodnik | ||
| The word "predhodnik" in Slovenian also means "predecessor". | |||
| Ukrainian | пріор | ||
| "Пріор" also means a Catholic monk who heads an abbey or monastery. | |||
Prior in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পূর্বে | ||
| The word "পূর্বে" also means "east" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | પહેલાં | ||
| The word "પહેલાં" has alternate meanings of "earlier" and "before" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | पूर्व | ||
| पूर्व is also used in the sense of 'east' or 'before' in Hindi, with a corresponding etymology from the Sanskrit पूर्व, meaning 'earlier' or 'east'. | |||
| Kannada | ಮೊದಲು | ||
| The word ಮೊದಲು, derived from the Proto-Dravidian *mudu-, also means "beginning" or "source" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | മുമ്പ് | ||
| The word "മുമ്പ്" has roots in the Sanskrit word "pūrva," meaning "earlier" or "first." | |||
| Marathi | अगोदर | ||
| The term 'अगोदर' in Marathi originates from the Sanskrit term 'अग्रोदर,' meaning 'at the beginning' or 'in the first instance'. | |||
| Nepali | पहिले | ||
| The word "पहिले" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रथम" (prathama), which also means "first" or "foremost". | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੁਰਾਣੇ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පෙර | ||
| "පෙර" also means a musical drum that is used in traditional Sinhalese music. | |||
| Tamil | முன் | ||
| The Tamil word 'முன்' is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *mu-, which means 'front' or 'before'. | |||
| Telugu | ముందు | ||
| The word "ముందు" may also refer to the front or the eastern direction. | |||
| Urdu | پہلے | ||
| The word "پہلے" can also mean "first" or "initial". | |||
Prior in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 事前 | ||
| The character 事 means 'event' or 'affair', and it is combined with 前, which means 'before', to form the compound word 事前, meaning 'prior' or 'beforehand'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 事前 | ||
| 事前 (prior) is pronounced shìqián in Mandarin and jìsì in Cantonese and can also mean "beforehand" or "in advance" | |||
| Japanese | 前 | ||
| The etymology of "前" suggests "to step forward". | |||
| Korean | 이전 | ||
| According to the 국립국어원, 이전 was originally a word meaning "to go before" and "to come and go". | |||
| Mongolian | өмнөх | ||
| The verb "өмнөх" has an additional meaning of "to be located in front or before someone or something in a line, row, or other such formation." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြိုတင် | ||
Prior in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sebelumnya | ||
| The Indonesian word 'sebelumnya' is derived from the Javanese word 'saben' ('frequently'), and its alternate meaning is 'formerly' or 'previously'. | |||
| Javanese | sadurunge | ||
| The word "sadurunge" is also used to describe something that happened before a particular event or time. | |||
| Khmer | មុន | ||
| The word "មុន" can also mean "before" or "in the past". | |||
| Lao | ກ່ອນ | ||
| "Before, previously, earlier, first, formerly, in advance, afore, sooner" | |||
| Malay | sebelumnya | ||
| "Sebelumnya" in Malay has the alternate meaning of "last time", originating from the Old Javanese word "sěbâyân" | |||
| Thai | ก่อน | ||
| "ก่อน" (prior) also means "to bet" in Thai, as in a game of cards | |||
| Vietnamese | trước | ||
| "Trước" can also mean "in front of" or "before" in a temporal sense. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bago | ||
Prior in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əvvəl | ||
| The word "əvvəl" in Azerbaijani can also mean "earlier" or "before". | |||
| Kazakh | дейін | ||
| The Kazakh word "дейін" shares a common etymology with the Hungarian "dél" (south), the Finnish "teiden" (on roads), and the Turkish "dün" (yesterday). | |||
| Kyrgyz | чейин | ||
| The word "чейин" also means "previous", "former", or "past" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | пеш | ||
| The word "пеш" can also mean "leader" or "chief" in some contexts. | |||
| Turkmen | öňünden | ||
| Uzbek | oldin | ||
| The Uzbek word "oldin" can also refer to "the past" or "formerly," indicating its temporal significance beyond just denoting an earlier time. | |||
| Uyghur | prior | ||
Prior in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma mua | ||
| In Hawaiian, 'ma mua' can also mean 'before' or 'earlier,' indicating a point in time rather than an object's position. | |||
| Maori | tuhinga o mua | ||
| The word "Tuhinga o mua" in Maori also refers to historical literature or ancient texts | |||
| Samoan | muamua | ||
| "Muamua" is often pronounced as "mua", and can also mean "first". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bago | ||
| "Bago" can also mean "new" or "beginner" in Tagalog. | |||
Prior in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukarjama | ||
| Guarani | mboyve | ||
Prior in International Languages
| Esperanto | prioro | ||
| In Esperanto, "prioro" also means "before" or "previously". | |||
| Latin | ante | ||
| The Latin word 'ante' also means 'before', 'in front of', or 'in the presence of'. | |||
Prior in Others Languages
| Greek | πριν | ||
| In the phrase "πριν και αριστερά", the "πριν" means "on the left", instead of its usual meaning of "before". | |||
| Hmong | ua ntej | ||
| Ua ntej is also used to describe a person or thing that has precedence or seniority. | |||
| Kurdish | ya pêşî | ||
| The phrase 'ya pêşî' literally means 'with foot forward', signifying the concept of being prior or ahead. | |||
| Turkish | önceki | ||
| The word 'önceki' is derived from the Old Turkish word 'ön', meaning 'front' or 'beginning'. | |||
| Xhosa | ngaphambili | ||
| The word "ngaphambili" in Xhosa derives from the verb "phambila," meaning "to go before." | |||
| Yiddish | איידער | ||
| In Yiddish, 'איידער' is an adverb that can also mean 'before,' and comes from the Middle German word 'êder,' which also means 'before.' | |||
| Zulu | ngaphambi | ||
| The noun 'ngaphambi' can also be used to refer to the front or exterior of something. | |||
| Assamese | আগতে | ||
| Aymara | ukarjama | ||
| Bhojpuri | पहिले | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުރިން | ||
| Dogri | पैहलें | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bago | ||
| Guarani | mboyve | ||
| Ilocano | sakbay | ||
| Krio | bifo | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشوو | ||
| Maithili | अग्रिम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯡꯖꯧꯅꯅ | ||
| Mizo | hmasa | ||
| Oromo | dura | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୂର୍ବରୁ | ||
| Quechua | aswan ñawpaq | ||
| Sanskrit | पूर्वतर | ||
| Tatar | алдан | ||
| Tigrinya | ቅድሚያ | ||
| Tsonga | rhanga | ||