Prior vs Prerequisite - What's the difference?
prior | prerequisite |
Of that which comes before, in advance.
former, previous
A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.
* 1939 , (Raymond Chandler), The Big Sleep , Penguin 2011, p. 53:
(statistics) In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution.
Required as a prior condition of something else; necessary or indispensable.
Something that must be gained in order to gain something else
In education, a course or topic that must be completed before another course or topic can be started. May be colloquially referred to as a prereq .
As adjectives the difference between prior and prerequisite
is that prior is of that which comes before, in advance while prerequisite is required as a prior condition of something else; necessary or indispensable.As nouns the difference between prior and prerequisite
is that prior is a high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot while prerequisite is something that must be gained in order to gain something else.As an adverb prior
is previously.prior
English
Adjective
(-)- I had no prior knowledge you were coming.
- His prior residence was smaller than his current one.
Usage notes
The etymological antonym is (m) (from Latin) (compare (m)/(m) for “first/last”). This is now no longer used, however, and there is no corresponding antonym. Typically either (m) or (m) are used, but these form different pairs – (m)/(m) and (m)/(m) – and are more formal than prior . When an opposing pair is needed, these can be used, or other pairs such as (m)/(m) or (m)/(m).Synonyms
* See alsoDerived terms
* prior toNoun
(wikipedia prior) (en noun)- ‘And a little later we get the routine report on his prints from Washington, and he's got a prior back in Indiana, attempted hold-up six years ago.’
prerequisite
English
Adjective
(-)Synonyms
* See alsoNoun
(en noun)- Having a decent qualification is a prerequisite to getting a good job in marketing.
- Algebra is typically a prerequisite for physics .