Priority
/praɪˈɔːrɪti/noun
The state of being earlier in order, rank, or importance.
Did you know?Priority ultimately comes from Latin *prior*, meaning “earlier” or “first,” from the same root that gave English words tied to “before” and “previous.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“Forward, in front, before”
Latin
Latin
prior
“Earlier, former, first in order”
Late Latin
Latin
prioritas
“The state of being earlier; precedence”
Middle French
Old French
priorité
“Precedence, the quality of being first”
16th Century
English
priority
“The state of being first in rank or order”
Modern English
English
priority
“The condition of being more important or earlier than something else”
Explore more surprising origins