Monastery head (5)
(Other definitions for prior that I've seen before include "More pressing" , "Abbott's deputy being earlier?" , "Antecedent" , "former conviction" , "writer of epigrammatic verse" .)
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">monastery head</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this before)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for abbot that I've seen before include "first in order" , "Monks' leader" , "Head of group of monks" , "Head of religious house" , "Monastery chief" .)