a priori

 a priori on Wikipedia

• apriori

First attested in 1610. Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).

• IPA^(key): (anglicized) /ˌeɪ pɹaɪˈɔːɹaɪ/, (Latinist) /ˌɑː pɹiˈɔːɹi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌeɪ pɹaɪˈɔːɹi/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

a priori (comparative more a priori, superlative most a priori)

2. (logic) Based on hypothesis and theory rather than experiment or empirical evidence.

   In his opening argument, the student mentioned nothing beyond his a priori knowledge.

4. Self-evident, intuitively obvious.
6. Presumed without analysis.
   • 1996, Jeet Heer, Gravitas, Autumn 1996:

     While the great critics drew their authority from the breadth of their reading, New Criterion critics often base their authority on an a priori rejection of the contemporary.

8. (linguistics, conlanging) Developed entirely from scratch, without deriving it from existing languages.^[1]
   • 2012 November 1, Laura Wright, “UT Language Creation Society invites students to learn origins of newer languages”, in The Daily Texan‎, archived from the original on 26 February 2013:

     Conlangers can also create a priori languages, which have no basis in existing languages. You might be familiar with more a priori conlangs than you think: The Klingon language from the television series “Star Trek,” the Na’vi language from the movie “Avatar,” and the Dothraki language from the television series “Game of Thrones” are all examples of a priori languages.

• deductive

• a posteriori

• a fortiori

a priori (comparative more a priori, superlative most a priori)

2. (logic) In a way based on theoretical deduction rather than empirical observation.

   Synonym: deductively (broadly synonymous outside of philosophic arcanity)

   Antonyms: a posteriori, inductively

A priori is broadly naturalized in English, but is sometimes typeset in italics.

• ex ante

Latin a priori

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑːpriˌoːriː/,

a priori

1. a priori

• à priori, apriori

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).

• IPA^(key): /a pʁi.jɔ.ʁi/

• Audio:

  (file)

a priori (invariable)

1. intuitively known, a priori

a priori

1. (informal) at first glance

a priori m (plural a priori)

1. preconceived idea

• a posteriori

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).

• IPA^(key): /a pʁiˈoːʁi/

• Audio:

  (file)

a priori (indeclinable)

1. a priori

a priori

1. a priori

• a priori on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:

a priori

Wikipedia ^it

Unadapted borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).

a priori (invariable)

1. a priori

a priori

1. a priori

   Antonym: a posteriori

• apriorismo
• apriorista
• aprioristico

• prioria, ripario

Literally, “from the former, from that which comes before”. Introduced as a technical phrase by Scholastic philosophers, notably Albert of Saxony (14th century).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /aː priˈoː.riː/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a priˈo.ri/,

ā priōrī (not comparable)

1. (Medieval Latin) In a manner involving reasoning from cause to effect.
2. (New Latin) In a manner involving reasoning from first principles; a priori.

• → English: a priori
• → French: a priori
• → German: a priori
• → Norwegian Bokmål: a priori
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: a priori
• → Polish: a priori
• → Portuguese: a priori
• → Spanish: a priori

• ā posteriōrī

Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia has an article on:

A priori og a posteriori

Wikipedia ^nb

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).

• IPA^(key): /aˈpriːoːrɪ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oːrɪ
• Hyphenation: a‧pri‧o‧ri

a priori

1. (logic, philosophy) a priori; based on hypothesis rather than experiment.
   • 2011 December 23, Morgenbladet, page 9:

     førmoderne samfunn … hvor forskjell ennå ikke betraktes a priori som en mangel

     pre-modern societies… where difference is not yet considered a priori as a deficiency

   viten a priori

   a priori knowledge

2. presumed without analysis, self-evident, intuitively obvious.
   • 1894, Dagbladet:

     adskillige snes ungdom, som a priori kan henregnes til det overflødige proletariat

     several dozen youth, who a priori can be attributed to the superfluous proletariat

   • 1971, Norsk Filosofisk Tidsskrift:

     to former for apriori innsikt

     two forms of a priori insight

   • 2004, Thea Selliaas Thorsen, Pia Fraus:

     han [vil] ikke a priori utelukke at [sjalusien] kan være noe av årsaken til at han nå drives rundt av en uro

     he not a priori rule out that may be part of the reason why he is now driven around by a turmoil

   a priori kunne man vente at...

   a priori one could expect that...

• a posteriori (“a posteriori”)

• a fortiori (“a fortiori”)

• “a priori” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “a priori” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “a priori” in Store norske leksikon

a priori

1. (logic, philosophy) a priori; based on hypothesis rather than experiment.
2. presumed without analysis, self-evident, intuitively obvious.

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

a priori

Wikipedia ^pl

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).

• IPA^(key): /a ˈprjɔ.ri/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Syllabification: a prio‧ri

a priori (not comparable, no derived adverb)

1. (literary, logic, philosophy) a priori

   Synonyms: aprioryczny, apriorystyczny

   Antonyms: a posteriori, aposterioryczny

a priori (not comparable)

1. (literary, logic, philosophy) a priori

   Synonym: apriorycznie

   Antonyms: a posteriori, aposteriorycznie

• a priori in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• a priori in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Unadapted borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).

a priori

1. (logic) a priori (derived by logic)
2. a priori (presumed without analysis)

• apriorismo

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:

a priori

Wikipedia ^es

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).

• IPA^(key): /a pɾiˈoɾi/
• Syllabification: a pri‧o‧ri

a priori

1. beforehand

   Synonyms: previamente, antes, anteriormente

2. (logic, philosophy) a priori

• “a priori”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10