Asrik

“Before, prior to. There is no difference between these two except length and a certain affectedness on the part of 'prior to.' To paraphrase Bernstein, if you would use 'posterior to' instead of 'after,' then by all means use 'prior to' instead of 'before.”
― Bill Bryson, Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer's Guide to Getting It Right