Mawson, C.O.S., ed. (18701938). Rogets International Thesaurus. 1922.
Class I. Words Expressing Abstract Relations
Section VI. Time
2. Relative Time
1. Time with reference to Succession
116. Priority.
NOUN:
PRIORITY, antecedence, anteriority, precedence, preëxistence; precession [See Precession]; precursor [See Precursor]; the past [See Preterition]; premises.
VERB:
PRECEDE, come before; forerun; prevene [rare], antecede; go before (lead) [See Precession]; preëxist; dawn; presage [See Prediction]; herald, usher in, announce.
be beforehand &c. (be early) [See Earliness]; steal a march upon, anticipate, forestall; have the start, gain the start.
BEFORE, prior to; earlier; previously &c. adj.; afore [obs.], aforehand [archaic], ere, theretofore, erewhile; ere then, ere now, before then, before now; already, yet, beforehand; or ever, aforetime; on the eve of.
QUOTATIONS:
Prior tempore prior jure.
When I was a king in Babylon And you were a Christian slave.Henley