English

Noun

prior knowledge ‎(uncountable)

1. the knowledge that stems from previous experience.

   I had no prior knowledge of linguistics, but that didn't stop me writing a dictionary.

2. (law) knowledge of a set of circumstances sufficient to make actions based on those circumstances wrongful

   The defendant was convicted because the prosecutor proved the defendant's prior knowledge of the victim's particular vulnerability.

3. Knowledge before learning a subject, language, etc.