Precocious
- Precocious
- Precocious Pre*co"cious, a. [L. praecox, -ocis, and
praecoquus, fr. praecoquere to cook or ripen beforehand; prae
before + coquere to cook. See 3d {Cook}, and cf. {Apricot}.]
1. Ripe or mature before the proper or natural time; early or
prematurely ripe or developed; as, precocious trees. [R.]
--Sir T. Browne.
[1913 Webster]
2. Developed more than is natural or usual at a given age;
exceeding what is to be expected of one's years; too
forward; -- used especially of mental forwardness; as, a
precocious child; precocious talents.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
2000.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
precocious — [prē kō′shəs, prikō′shəs] adj. [< L praecox < praecoquere, to boil beforehand < prae , before (see PRE ) + coquere, to mature, COOK] 1. developed or matured to a point beyond that which is normal for the age [a precocious child] 2. of or … English World dictionary
precocious — (adj.) 1640s, developed before the usual time, from L. praecox (gen. praecocis) maturing early, from prae before (see PRE (Cf. pre )) + coquere to ripen, lit. to cook (see COOK (Cf. cook) (n.)). Originally of flowers or fruits. Figurative use, of … Etymology dictionary
precocious — untimely, forward, *premature, advanced Analogous words: immature, unmatured, unripe Antonyms: backward … New Dictionary of Synonyms
precocious — [adj] exceptionally smart, ahead of age in understanding advanced, aggressive, ahead of time*, beforehand, bold, brassy*, bright, cheeky*, cocky*, developed, early, flip*, flippant, forward, fresh, intelligent, mature, nervy, premature,… … New thesaurus
precocious — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ having developed certain abilities or inclinations at an earlier age than usual. DERIVATIVES precociously adverb precociousness noun precocity noun. ORIGIN from Latin praecox, from praecoquere ripen fully … English terms dictionary
Precocious — Unusually early development, whether it be of intellectual powers, speech, physical traits, etc. Precocious puberty is the unusually early development of secondary sexual features. The onset of sexual maturation in a girl before age 8 or a boy… … Medical dictionary
precocious — [[t]prɪko͟ʊʃəs[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n A precocious child is very clever, mature, or good at something, often in a way that you usually only expect to find in an adult. Margaret was always a precocious child... She burst on to the world tennis … English dictionary
precocious — adjective Etymology: Latin praecoc , praecox early ripening, precocious, from prae + coquere to cook more at cook Date: 1650 1. exceptionally early in development or occurrence < precocious puberty > 2. exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually … New Collegiate Dictionary
precocious — [17] Precocious means etymologically ‘pre cooked’. It was borrowed from Latin praecox, a derivative of the verb praecoquere ‘cook in advance’, which was a compound formed from the prefix prae ‘before’ and coquere ‘cook’ (a relative of English… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
precocious — [17] Precocious means etymologically ‘pre cooked’. It was borrowed from Latin praecox, a derivative of the verb praecoquere ‘cook in advance’, which was a compound formed from the prefix prae ‘before’ and coquere ‘cook’ (a relative of English… … Word origins
