pilot vs prior

pilot

noun
  • A sample episode of a proposed TV series produced to decide if it should be made or not. If approved, typically the first episode of an actual TV series. 

  • A person who steers a ship, a helmsman. 

  • A pilot light. 

  • A short plug, sometimes made interchangeable, at the end of a counterbore to guide the tool. 

  • A guide book for maritime navigation. 

  • A racing driver. 

  • An instrument for detecting the compass error. 

  • A person authorised to drive such a vehicle during an escort. 

  • Something serving as a test or trial. 

  • The heading or excavation of relatively small dimensions, first made in the driving of a larger tunnel. 

  • A person who is in charge of the controls of an aircraft. 

  • One who flies a kite. 

  • A cowcatcher. 

  • A person who knows well the depths and currents of a harbor or coastal area, who is hired by a vessel to help navigate the harbor or coast. 

  • A guide or escort through an unknown or dangerous area. 

  • A pilot vehicle. 

verb
  • To guide (a vessel) through coastal waters. 

  • To serve as the leading locomotive on a double-headed train. 

  • To control (an aircraft or watercraft). 

  • To test or have a preliminary trial of (an idea, a new product, etc.) 

adj
  • Being a vehicle to warn other road users of the presence of an oversize vehicle/combination. 

  • Used to control or activate another device. 

  • Made or used as a test or demonstration of capability. 

prior

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

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

  • 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. 

adj
  • Former, previous. 

  • Advance; previous; coming before. 

adv
  • Previously. 

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