Precious
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈprɛʃəs/
- Rhymes: -ɛʃəs
Alternative forms
- pretious obsolete
Origin
From Middle English precious, from Old French precios ("valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also affected, finical"), from Latin pretiosus ("of great value, costly, dear, precious"), from pretium ("value, price"); see price.
Full definition of precious
Adjective
precious
- Of high value or worth, or seemingly regarded as such.
- 2013-08-16, Polly Toynbee, Britain's booming birthrate, People are a good thing, the most precious resource in a rich economy, so the progressive-minded feel. Only misanthropists disagree or the dottier Malthusians who send green-ink tweets deploring any state assistance for child-rearing.
- The crown had many precious gemstones. This building work needs site access, and tell the city council that I don't care about a few lorry tyre ruts across their precious grass verge.
- Regarded with love or tenderness.My precious daughter is to marry.
- (pejorative) Treated with too much reverence.He spent hours painting the eyes of the portrait, which his fellow artists regarded as a bit precious.
- (pejorative) Contrived to be cute or charming.
- 2012, May 24, Nathan Rabin, Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3, In the abstract, Stuhlbarg’s twinkly-eyed sidekick suggests Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 2 by way of late-period Robin Williams with an alien twist, but Stuhlbarg makes a character that easily could have come across as precious into a surprisingly palatable, even charming man.
Synonyms
- (of high value) dear, valuable
- (contrived to charm) saccharine, syrupy, twee
Noun
precious
(plural preciouses)- Someone (or something) who is loved; a darling.
- J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit“It isn't fair, my precious, is it, to ask us what it's got in its nassty little pocketses?â€
- 1909, Mrs. Teignmouth Shore, The Pride of the Graftons (page 57)She sat down with the dogs in her lap. "I won't neglect you for any one, will I, my preciouses?"