antecedent vs prior

antecedent and prior both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
antecedent	Yes	Yes	No	No
prior	Yes	Yes	No	No

antecedent (noun)	prior (noun)
the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun	the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot
a preceding occurrence or cause or event
someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
anything that precedes something similar in time

antecedent (adjective)	prior (adjective)
preceding in time or order	earlier in time