Previous abbot's deputy (5)

I believe the answer is:

prior

I believe this clue is a double definition.

'previous' is the first definition.
(thesaurus)

'abbot's deputy' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)

(Other definitions for prior that I've seen before include "Source of poetry in 17th century" , "High ranking person in monastery" , "Earlier, coming before another in time" , "Already arranged" , "boss of Monk?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian and The Telegraph.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app