from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Previous \Pre"vi*ous\, a. [L. praevius going before, leading the
way; prae before + via the way. See {Voyage}.]
Going before in time; being or happening before something
else; antecedent; prior; as, previous arrangements; a
previous illness.
[1913 Webster]
The dull sound . . . previous to the storm,
Rolls o'er the muttering earth. --Thomson.
[1913 Webster]
{Previous question}. (Parliamentary Practice) See under
{Question}, and compare {Closure}.
{Previous to}, before; -- often used adverbially for
previously. "Previous to publication." --M. Arnold. "A
policy . . . his friends had advised previous to 1710."
--J. H. Newman.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: Antecedent; preceding; anterior; prior; foregoing;
former.
[1913 Webster]