precocious
English
Etymology
Lua error: Module:checkparams:215: The template Template:PIE root does not use the parameter(s):
2=pekʷ
Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.
(deprecated template usage) From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin praecox (“premature, precocious, ripe before time, early ripe”), from praecoquere (“to ripen beforehand, ripen fully, also boil beforehand”), from prae (“before”) + coquere (“to cook, boil, ripen”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
precocious (comparative more precocious, superlative most precocious)
- Characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity.
- The precocious plant was already blooming flowers by day 4.
- 2014 November 14, Stephen Halliday, “Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero”, in The Scotsman[1]:
- Scotland’s most encouraging early source of an attacking threat was Andrew Robertson as the precocious left-back charged forward to good effect on a couple of occasions.
- 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 5:
- Both groups, also, have already evolved precocious (intracapsular) spore germination.
- Exhibiting advanced skills and aptitudes at an abnormally early age.
- The precocious child began reading the newspaper at age four.
- 1964, Sherman Brothers, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, Mary Poppins, Walt Disney Mary: Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious / If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity
|
exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age
|
See also
Further reading
- “precocious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “precocious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “precocious”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.