the.com/priory

means A religious house headed by a prior or prioress, typically ranking just below a full abbey in status and size.

from From Latin 'prior' meaning 'former' or 'superior/first,' the comparative of 'prae' (before). A prior was literally the one who came before, ranked ahead, in the monastic hierarchy — second only to an abbot. The building they ran borrowed their title, passing through Old French 'priorie' into English. So the word carries its pecking order right in its bones: 'prior' meant higher-up before it meant earlier-in-time.