precision

See also: précision and precisión

English

Etymology

From Middle French precision. Equivalent to precise +‎ -ion.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada, General Australian) IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/, [pɹɪˈsɪʒ.n̩]

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈsəʒ.ən/, [pɹəˈsəʒ.n̩]
• Rhymes: -ɪʒən

Noun

precision (countable and uncountable, plural precisions)

1. (loosely) The state of being precise or exact; especially, both exact and accurate.

   Near-synonyms: exactitude, exactness; accuracy

2. (strictly) The ability of a measurement to be reproduced consistently.

   Synonym: nicety

   Coordinate term: accuracy (independent property)

   Near-synonyms: repeatability; reproducibility

   The classic example of the difference between precision and accuracy is that in target practice, if the grouping is tight but the group is off-center, your precision is good but your accuracy needs calibration.

3. (mathematics) The number of significant digits to which a value may be measured reliably.
4. (bridge) A bidding system that makes use of many artificial bids to describe a hand quite precisely.

Synonyms

• exactitude

Derived terms

• arbitrary-precision
• arbitrary-precision arithmetic
• double-precision
• double precision
• high-precision
• hyperprecision
• imprecision
• multiprecision
• non-precision approach
• overprecision
• precision agriculture
• precisional
• precision approach
• precision dice
• precision die
• precision F-strike
• precisionism
• precisionist
• precisionize
• precision medicine
• pseudoprecision
• quadruple-precision
• single-precision
• ultraprecision
• underprecision

Translations

the state of being precise or exact; exactness

• Bulgarian: точност (bg) f (točnost)
• Catalan: precisió (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 精度 (zh) (jīngdù), 準確度 / 准确度 (zh) (zhǔnquèdù)

• Czech: přesnost (cs) f
• Dutch: precisie (nl) f
• Esperanto: precizeco
• Finnish: täsmällisyys (fi), tarkkuus (fi)
• French: précision (fr)
• Frisian:

  West Frisian: krektens f or c

• German: Präzision (de) f, Genauigkeit (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἀκρίβεια f (akríbeia)

• Icelandic: nákvæmni (is) f
• Irish: cruinneas m
• Japanese: 精度 (ja) (せいど, seido), 正確性 (せいかくせい, seikakusei)
• Mongolian: нарийвчлал (mn) sg (nariivčlal)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: presisjon m

  Nynorsk: presisjon m

• Polish: dokładność (pl) f
• Portuguese: precisão (pt) f
• Romanian: precizie (ro) f, exactitate (ro) f
• Russian: то́чность (ru) f (tóčnostʹ)
• Spanish: exactitud (es) f, precisión (es) f
• Swedish: exakthet (sv) c, precision (sv) c

the ability of a measurement to be reproduced consistently

• Finnish: täsmällisyys (fi), tarkkuus (fi)
• German: Präzision (de) f, Messpräzision f, Wiederholgenauigkeit f
• Italian: precisione (it) f
• Mongolian: нарийвчлал (mn) sg (nariivčlal)
• Polish: dokładność (pl) f
• Portuguese: precisão (pt) f
• Romanian: precizie (ro) f
• Russian: то́чность (ru) f (tóčnostʹ)

the number of significant digits to which a value may be measured reliably

• Bulgarian: точност (bg) f (točnost)
• Finnish: tarkkuus (fi)
• Japanese: 精度 (ja)
• Mongolian: нарийвчлал (mn) (nariivčlal)
• Polish: dokładność (pl) f
• Portuguese: precisão (pt) f
• Russian: то́чность (ru) f (tóčnostʹ)

the consistency of a number in a linear equation

• Finnish: tarkkuus (fi)
• Polish: dokładność (pl) f
• Russian: то́чность (ru) f (tóčnostʹ)

See also

• accuracy

Adjective

precision (not comparable)

1. Used for exact or precise measurement.

   precision instruments

2. Made, or characterized by accuracy.
   • 2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2 - 0 Wigan”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     But there was nothing he could do about Villa's second when Agbonlahor crossed from the left and Bent finished with a precision volley.

Translations

used for exact or precise measurement

• Bulgarian: прецизен (bg) (precizen)
• Finnish: täsmä- (fi), tarkkuus- (fi)
• Japanese: 精度 (ja)
• Portuguese: de precisão

made, or characterized by accuracy

• Bulgarian: точен (bg) (točen)
• Finnish: tarkkuus- (fi), täsmä- (fi)
• Portuguese: de precisão

References

• precision on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• isoprenic

Middle French

Alternative forms

• précision

Etymology

First known attestation 1380, borrowed from Latin praecisiō.

Noun

precision f (plural precisions)

1. cutting off; act of cutting off

Descendants

• French: précision
• → English: precision

Swedish

Noun

precision c

1. precision (preciseness)
2. precision (of an instrument)
3. (mathematics) precision

Declension

Declension of precision

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	precision	precisions
	definite	precisionen	precisionens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

See also

• ackuratess

References

• “precision”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “precision”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “precision”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)