| 释义 |
priority|praɪˈɒrɪtɪ|
Also 5 priorte.
[ME. a. F. priorité (14th c., Hatz.-Darm.), ad. med.L. priōritās, f. L. prior, -ōrem: see prior a. and -ity.]
1. a. The condition or quality of being earlier or previous in time, or of preceding something else.
1387–8T. Usk Test. Love iii. iv. (Skeat) I. 166 In diuers times, and in diuers places temporel, without posteriorite or priorite. 1432–50tr. Higden (Rolls) VII. 273 The seetes of Cawnterbery and of Yorke not to be subiecte in eny wise to other after the constitucion of Gregory, excepte that the oon is moore then that other for the priorite of tyme. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxxxi. §16 The preeminence of prioritie in birth. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. iii. ii. §7 Though there might bee some priority in order of causes between them, yet there was none in order of time or duration. 1879H. George Progr. & Pov. vii. i. (1881) 309 No priority of appropriation can give a right which will bar these equal rights of others.
b. Taxonomy. The claim of the first validly published Latin name to be taken as the correct one for any given organism.
1842Rep. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 109 We have no hesitation in adopting as our fundamental maxim, the ‘law of priority’, viz... The name originally given by the founder of a group or the describer of a species should be permanently retained. 1928D. B. Swingle Textbk. Systematic Bot. vii. 68 By agreement botanists do not go back of Linnaeus' ‘Species Plantarum’ (1753) to establish priority in the publication of names. 1953E. Mayr et al. Methods & Princ. Systematic Zool. xi. 213 It would be unfair..to blame all name changes on the law of priority. 1963Davis & Heywood Princ. Angiosperm Taxon. viii. 291 Enough information should be given to indicate why a name has not been adopted if it appears to have priority over the accepted name.
2. Precedence in order, rank, or dignity. Also, the right to precede others or to receive attention, supplies, etc., before others. Hence transf., an interest having a prior claim to consideration; often in pl. or preceded by a qualifying word, as first, high, top priority.
c1400Cursor M. 27562 (Cott. Galba) Pride..riueliest..For werldes hap,..Erthly honowre, or priorte, Welth, or lordschip, or pouste. c1440Alphabet of Tales 248 Þer it is semand þat þe fathur suffer þe son to hafe a prioritie. 1534–1704 [see posteriority 2]. 1606Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. iii. 86 The Heauens themselues, the Planets, and this Center, Obserue degree, priority, and place. 1803Stuart in Gurw. Wellington's Desp. (1837) II. 190 note, The priority of his rank to that of Major General Wellesley would render his presence to the northward of the Kistna incompatible with a due exercise of the powers..delegated to the latter officer. 1861Sat. Rev. 14 Dec. 608 The courtesy of the American dockyard officers would probably grant to a British man-of-war priority over several merchantmen which were in need of similar accommodation. 1917Times 10 Mar. 6/4 The Minister of Munitions..has issued an important Order under the Defence of the Realm Act as to priority of war work... During the last 12 months the Ministry of Munitions has been administering a scheme which ensured for war work and for work of national importance priority over all other work in regard to labour and materials. 1922Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 147/1 The Priorities Committee undertook whenever necessary to administer priorities in the production of all raw materials and finished products. Ibid. 835/1 The labour needs of employers in war industries were graded as entitled to ‘Super-Priority’, ‘First’ or ‘Second Class Priority’, or as not deserving special treatment. 1940Economist 18 May 893/1 How far can we tap reserves of skill for war work by the full mobilisation of this class of man power and its allocation, according to an infrangible schedule of priorities, exclusively to war and export manufacture? Ibid. 24 Aug. 236/2 There was no priority at all until June of this year, and since then there has only been a general Priority of Production Direction which went no further than to notify to industry two short lists of very broad categories of munitions. 1941New Statesman 26 Apr. 429/2 First priority is being given to dairy cattle. 1944Daily Tel. 23 Sept. 2/2 The obvious remedy for that would be to make civil aviation priority No. 1 at the Ministry. 1948‘N. Shute’ No Highway ii. 49, I think this trip to Canada is top priority of anything that's going on at Farnborough today. 1949G. Cotterell Randle in Springtime iv. iii. 213 I'm going into furnishing, see. Anything you've got to have dockets and priorities for. Lino, stair carpets. 1958Listener 11 Sept. 368/1 The Minister had to explain that their area did not have early priority. 1960M. Spark Ballad of Peckham Rye iii. 42 She came up with an estimate and said ‘priority’... I said, ‘Excuse me, Miss Coverdale, but I've got two priorities already.’ 1968Highway Code 37 (caption) Give priority to vehicles from opposite direction. 1969Morning Star 29 Jan. 1/1 Improvements..are much less than could be achieved if the Government got its priorities right. 1970G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard iv. 122 There was a priority on at the Yard, all detectives were being called back. 1972A. Ulam Fall of Amer. Univ. v. 211 He would couple this frankness with a plea to the young not to give up, to work within the system, for with reordered priorities this country might still be saved and might even be worth saving. 1977Listener 26 May 682/2 There will be questions of social priorities involved.
3. Law.
†a. See quot. 1607. Obs.
b. A precedence among claims, or a preference in order of payment.
1523Fitzherb. Surv. 23 b, The lorde that the tenaunt holdeth of by priorite shall haue the warde of the body, be it heyre male or heyre female. 1607Cowell Interpr. s.v. Posteriority, A man holding lands or tenements of two lords, holdeth of his auncienter Lord by prioritie, and of his later Lord by posterioritie. 1766Blackstone Comm. II. xxxii. 511 In payment of debts he must observe the rules of priority; otherwise, on deficiency of assets, if he pays those of a lower degree first, he must answer those of a higher out of his own estate. 1869Act 32 & 33 Vict. c. 46 §1 In the administration of the estate of every person who shall die..after [1 Jan. 1870] no debt or liability..shall be entitled to any priority or preference by reason merely that the same is secured by or arises under a bond, deed, or other instrument under seal, or is otherwise made or constituted a specialty debt. 1884Sir J. Pearson in Law Rep. 28 Ch. Div. 178 At that time the law of Ireland gave judgment creditors priority over simple contract creditors.
4. = ‘Apriority’ (Cent. Dict.).
5. attrib., passing into adj.: priority-bond = preference bond (preference 8).
1849Darwin in Life & Lett. (1887) I. 368 If I, a priority man called a species C. D. 1884Pall Mall G. 7 Apr. 5/1 New issues of Turkish Tobacco and Priority bonds, of Spanish, and even of Russian bonds. 1897Westm. Gaz. 29 Nov. 2/2 [He] insisted on the importance and significance of the ‘priority pledge’, which he asserts is always given by Liberal candidates. 1917Times 10 Mar. 6/4 (heading) National work. Important priority scheme. 1922Encycl. Brit. XXX. 818/2 Trades specified in a priority list drawn up with reference to the relative urgency of the industrial requirements of the country. 1934T. E. Lawrence Let. 8 Apr. (1938) 795 She..has no one aboard now to get her priority treatment. 1942Times (Weekly ed.) 2 Dec. 15 Various priority and freight rationing schemes are in operation. 1946K. Tennant Lost Haven (1947) xvi. 248 Young Len's working for the mill, ain't he? And that's a priority job. 1960O. Manning Great Fortune xiii. 153 This young man might have been granted a priority flight over Europe. 1967Guardian 10 Jan. 4/4 Measures should be taken to increase the ratio of teachers to children in educational priority areas. 1976Broadcast Dec. 1/3 The achievement of a shorter working week for weekly paid staff is a priority objective. |