précieux
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of précieux
1890–95; < French; literally, precious
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was one of the last of the précieux, or rather he was the inventor of a new combination of literature and gallantry which at first exposed him to not a little satire.
From A Short History of French Literature by Saintsbury, George
About our author, however, we know that his experience has been long, and of the best, that he does not speak from a hasty acquaintance with a few contemporary précieux and précieuses.
From On the Sublime by Havell, H. L. (Herbert Lord)
He was proclaimed king of letters by his admirers, and became, in fact, king of the précieux.
From The English Novel in the Time of Shakespeare by Jusserand, J. J.
She had transported the aristocratic spirit, and the genre précieux, good breeding and good taste, even into cookery.
From The Essays of "George Eliot" Complete by Sheppard, Nathan
Two years later, when the Congress met again at Zurich, M. Fontaine recalled the memory of Sir Charles and the "conseils précieux" which other workers drew from him in their interviews.
From The Life of the Rt. Hon. Sir Charles W. Dilke, Volume 2 by Gwynn, Stephen Lucius
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
