Prior's an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses. Monastic superiors A Prior's a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St. Benedict the term prior occurs several times, but doesn't signify any particular superior; it's indiscriminately applied to any superior, be he Abbot, Provost, Dean, etc. In other old monastic rules the term's used in the same generic sense. With the Cluniac reform the term Pri… (More on Prior)