From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpriorypri‧o‧ry /ˈpraɪəri/ noun (plural priories) [countable] RRCa building where a group of monks or nuns (=men or women living a religious life) live, which is smaller and less important than an abbey → monastery
Examples from the Corpus
priory• The centre of Royston, Hertfordshire, founded by the adjacent priory of Austin Canons in about 1189, has this characteristic.• He invested his business gains in building up an estate, purchasing as a country seat the former Carmelite priory of Aylesford.• Klingenzell priory, between the castles Liebenfels and Freudenfels, was founded in 1333 and became a place of pilgrimage.• There was also a small priory at Brimpsfield, but it is not certain if the church was the priory church.• Item - Lady Eleanor was preparing to leave the priory and go to her secret admirer, but who was he?• Others followed the history of the Shrine as they toured the priory grounds guided by Bernard Connelly.Priory, TheThe PrioryPriory, The one of the mental health treatment centres in the UK run by a company called the Priory Group, best known for helping rich and famous people with drug or alcohol problems 