next vs prior

next

adj
  • Nearest in order, succession, or rank; immediately following (or sometimes preceding) in order. 

  • Nearest in place or position, having nothing similar intervening; adjoining. 

  • Nearest in relationship. (See also next of kin.) 

det
  • Closest in the future, or closest but one if the closest is very soon; of days, sometimes thought to specifically refer to the instance closest to seven days (one week) in the future. 

  • Denotes the one immediately following the current or most recent one. 

noun
  • The one that follows after this one. 

adv
  • In a time, place, rank or sequence closest or following. 

  • On the first subsequent occasion. 

  • So as to follow in time or sequence something previously mentioned. 

prior

adj
  • Advance; previous; coming before. 

  • Former, previous. 

adv
  • Previously. 

noun
  • A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot. 

  • A prior probability distribution, one based on information or belief before additional data is collected. 

  • A belief supported by previous evidence or experience that one can use to make inferences about the future. 

  • A chief magistrate in Italy. 

  • A previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone's record. 

How often have the words next and prior occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )