précis
noun
a concise summary.
précis
American
[prey-see, prey-see]
/ preɪˈsi, ˈpreɪ si /
noun
précis
plural
verb (used with object)
precis
British
/ ˈpreɪsiː /
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of précis
1750–60; < French, noun use of adj., literally, cut short. See precise
Explanation
A precis is a summary of something's main points. If you've ever jotted down notes about your main ideas before writing a persuasive essay, you've used a precis. Precis looks like precise, and of course, you always want your precis to be precise. But the words are pronounced differently. Precis comes from the French word précis, so say it like this: "PRAY see." Or you can accent the other syllable: "pray SEE." The s is only pronounced if the word is plural: "PRAY sees." The spelling stays the same.
Vocabulary lists containing precis
The Picture of Dorian Gray
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English Words Derived from French, List 11
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Vocabulary from the Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, Volume I
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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.
A Precis of the Arguments: There are actually three related arguments, aside from the tactics issues, which I’ll address in a bit.
From Forbes • Oct. 13, 2014
And so Mr. Precis bethought himself that he also, if unsuccessful, would go to the Lords of the Treasury.
From The Three Clerks by Trollope, Anthony
If we add the Precis of the Reign of Louis XV.
From The Idea of Progress An inguiry into its origin and growth by Bury, J. B. (John Bagnell)
Extract from the Precis of the ordinary Diet, held in the City of Nimeguen, in the month of April, 1782.
From The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 by Jacquemart, Jules-Ferdinand
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.
