Do Priori attract dust?

OK kids, the party is over:

Ever wonder what the plural is for Toyota’s Prius? It’s been something of a gray area to our copy editors, and now that there’s a Prius V, a plural word for the vehicle could come in handy.

Before we could make up our minds, Toyota decided today that the plural form is “Prii” (pronounced PREE-eye). That decision was the result of a marketing campaign in which Toyota asked the public about the plural possibilities: “Prius,” “Priuses,” “Prii,” “Priem,” or “Pri.”

“Prii” received 25%. “Prius” came in a close second with 24%.

We think Toyota is getting a little meta on this one. We’ve certainly heard “Prii” bounced around among auto journalists before today, in a cheeky manner of course. Prii is no longer just a flippant expression; it’s a real word, at least according to Dictionary.com. Other dictionaries, such as Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionary, don’t contain an entry.

The original meaning for “Prius” originates from a 19th-century adjective referring to “prior.” There’s an even older noun derivative from the 15th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Nick Young, a Latin and classical studies instructor at the University of Detroit Mercy, told the Detroit Free Press that the plural of “Prius” is actually "Priora" or "Priores."

Ben Zimmer, a columnist for the New York Times, counters that either “Priora” or “Prii” are correct answers, but he told the Free Press that adding Latin plurals to “Prius” seems a bit forced. “We're not speaking Latin. We might as well form the word the way English plurals are formed," Zimmer said.

In that case, the plural really should be “Priuses,” even if it sounds a bit silly.

 

My last two cars, including the current Prius...both had pure plastic dash boards.

Is the Prius "dustier"?

No I don't think so. I don't really think the plastic in the Prius attracts any more dust than the plastic in my Honda Fit did.

Perhaps the only difference might be that the grain of the Prius Dash I think holds the dust a little more stubbornly.

But it's nothing a swiffer sweeper in the glove box can't keep under control.

 

It is amazing to me how tree pollen sticks as well to the side of my Prius as well as the top surfaces.

I've walked to my car many times where there is a solid green tint on the black finish.