précieux

American  

[prey-see-oo, prey-syœ] / ˌpreɪ siˈʊ, preɪˈsyœ /

adjective

1. (of a man) overly fastidious or refined; precious; affected.

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noun

plural

précieux

1. an affected or excessively fastidious man, as in dress, manner, or speech.

Etymology

Origin of précieux

1890–95; < French; literally, precious

Example Sentences

Last week, Dan Brown — “The Da Vinci Code” author whose novels follow the adventures of protagonist Langdon — shared a story about Brand and the “Précieux Sang” with his 5.9 million Facebook followers.

From Washington Post

If you’re looking for a well-rounded oil for everyday use, consider Okoko Cosmétiques’s Les 16 Précieux face oil, which includes prickly pear, marula and baobab, as well as bakuchiol, white lupin and coenzyme Q10 for firming and soothing.

From New York Times

It is remarkable, however, how uniform the average wages in the different trades is: vêtements, 3.33 francs; fils et tissus, 3.42; boisellerie, vannerie, 3.44; garçons boulangers, bouchers 3.50; arts chimiques et céramiques 3.71; bâtiments, 3.81; carosserie, 3.86; peaux et cuirs, 3.87; ameublement, 3.90; articles de Paris, 3.94; métaux communs, 3.98; métaux précieux, 4.17; imprimerie, 4.18.

From Project Gutenberg

En même temps je crois devoir ajouter, que les manuscrits les plus précieux ne sortent jamais de la Bibliothèque, dans aucun cas, de même que les codes dont s'occupent les savants du pays.'

From Project Gutenberg

“We have to find ways to further improve efficiency and hope that the franc will return to normal, which it will do eventually,” said Mehdi Barkhordar, managing director at Produits Artistiques Metaux Precieux, a Geneva-based precious metals refiner and trader known as PAMP.

From BusinessWeek