Priorities

How to spell priorities

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce priorities

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does priorities mean?

1. nounThe things that are treated as most important and dealt with first.

Priorities in a sentence

• The new manager asked the team to list their priorities for the quarter.

• Once the baby arrived, their priorities shifted toward sleep and stability.

Where does priorities come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin prior, meaning 'former' or 'earlier', the comparative of an old root sense of 'before'. From this came the medieval Latin prioritas, meaning 'the state of being first or earlier', a notion of precedence in time or rank. English took up 'priority' in the late 1300s, by way of Old French priorite, originally referring to the fact of coming first in order or importance. Over time the sense settled on the things that demand attention first, and the modern plural 'priorities' captures the everyday business idea of competing claims on time and resources. The same prior root sits inside the church title 'prior' (the monk ranked just below an abbot) and the everyday word 'prior' meaning earlier, which helps explain the steady 'prior' spine at the start of the spelling.

How the word is built

• prior- (from Latin prior: earlier, former)
• -ity (noun-forming suffix denoting a state or quality)
• -es (plural)