a priori
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
First attested in 1610. Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): (anglicized) /ˌeɪ pɹaɪˈɔːɹaɪ/, (Latinist) /ˌɑː pɹiˈɔːɹi/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌeɪ pɹaɪˈɔːɹi/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Adjective edit
a priori (comparative more a priori, superlative most a priori)
- (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.
- Self-evident, intuitively obvious.
- 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.
- (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[1], 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.
Synonyms edit
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
|
|
|
|
Adverb edit
a priori (comparative more a priori, superlative most a priori)
- (logic) In a way based on theoretical deduction rather than empirical observation.
Translations edit
|
Usage notes edit
A priori is broadly naturalized in English, but is sometimes typeset in italics.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Donald J. Harlow, How to Build a Language
Finnish edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
French edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
a priori (invariable)
- intuitively known, a priori
Adverb edit
a priori
Noun edit
a priori m (plural a priori)
Antonyms edit
German edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
a priori (indeclinable)
Adverb edit
a priori
Further reading edit
- a priori on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de
Italian edit
Etymology edit
Unadapted borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Adjective edit
Adverb edit
- a priori
- Antonym: a posteriori
Derived terms edit
Anagrams edit
Latin edit
Etymology edit
Literally, “from the former, from that which comes before”. Introduced as a technical phrase by Scholastic philosophers, notably Albert of Saxony (14th century).
Pronunciation edit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /aː priˈoː.riː/, [äː priˈoːriː]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /a priˈo.ri/, [äː priˈɔːri]
Adverb edit
ā priōrī (not comparable)
- (Medieval Latin) In a manner involving reasoning from cause to effect.
- (New Latin) In a manner involving reasoning from first principles; a priori.
Descendants edit
- → 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
See also edit
Norwegian Bokmål edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
- (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
- 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 [will] not a priori rule out that [jealousy] 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...
Antonyms edit
- a posteriori (“a posteriori”)
Related terms edit
- a fortiori (“a fortiori”)
References edit
- priori “a priori” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
- “a priori” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
- “a priori” in Store norske leksikon
Norwegian Nynorsk edit
Adverb edit
- (logic, philosophy) a priori; based on hypothesis rather than experiment.
- presumed without analysis, self-evident, intuitively obvious.
Polish edit
Etymology edit
Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
a priori (not comparable, no derived adverb)
- (literary, logic, philosophy) a priori
- Synonyms: aprioryczny, apriorystyczny
- Antonyms: a posteriori, aposterioryczny
Adverb edit
a priori (not comparable)
- (literary, logic, philosophy) a priori
- Synonym: apriorycznie
- Antonyms: a posteriori, aposteriorycznie
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
Portuguese edit
Etymology edit
Unadapted borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
a priori
Derived terms edit
Spanish edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
a priori
- beforehand
- Synonyms: previamente, antes, anteriormente
- (logic, philosophy) a priori
Derived terms edit
Further reading edit
- “a priori”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014