precedenza

priority

noun preh-cheh-DEN-tsah Less Common

Origin: From Latin praecedentia, from praecedere (to go before).

Also means

right of way

Usage Note

Precedenza has two common senses: in traffic it means 'right of way' (dare la precedenza = to yield), and more broadly it means 'priority' (dare precedenza a qualcosa = to give priority to something). The phrase in ordine di precedenza means 'in order of priority'. The plural is le precedenze. Learners driving in Italy must know the traffic sense immediately.

Examples

"Devi dare la precedenza a destra."

Natural Translation

You must yield to the right.

Literal Translation

You must give the right-of-way to the right.

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