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Webster 1913 Edition


Precocious

Pre-co′cious

,
Adj.
[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.
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.

Webster 1828 Edition


Precocious

PRECO'CIOUS

,
Adj.
[L. proecox; proe, before, and coquo, to cook or prepare.]
1.
Ripe before the proper or natural time; as precocious trees.
2.
Premature.

Definition 2024


precocious

precocious

English

Adjective

precocious (comparative more precocious, superlative most precocious)

  1. Characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity.
    • 2014 November 14, Stephen Halliday, “Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero”, in The Scotsman:
      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. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page 5
      Both groups, also, have already evolved precocious (intracapsular) spore germination.
  2. Exhibiting advanced skills and aptitudes at an abnormally early age.
    The precocious child began reading the newspaper at age four.

Quotations

  • 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

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See also