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• précis
  précis

  noun

  a concise summary.
• precis
  precis

  noun

  a summary of the essentials of a text; abstract

précis

American  

[prey-see, prey-see] / preɪˈsi, ˈpreɪ si /

noun

précis plural

1. a concise summary.

   Synonyms:

   abstract, condensation, digest

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a précis of.

precis British  

/ ˈpreɪsiː /

noun

1. a summary of the essentials of a text; abstract

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verb

1. (tr) to make a precis of

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• précis
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

précis precis

As a précis to a larger, more scholarly work, it lacks the depth and historical context that many enthusiasts of classical drama may be hungry for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

A précis of Elmer’s early life in Maine is run through by members of the eight-person cast in the bouncy, no-nonsense manner of a graphic novel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2025

But a perusal of its précis and circumstances was apt to provoke a “hope for the best, expect the worst” feeling.

From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2020

A zippy 1967 film by Jacques Tati, “Playtime,” has a scene that serves as a clean précis for “Figure It Out’s” credo.

From Washington Post ● May 11, 2020

The newspapers of this morning contain a précis of a letter from "our Fritz" to William "the mystic drunkard."

From Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris by Labouchere, Henry

A neat precis of Pakistan's World Cup campaign, overall.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026

"The performances are accomplished. Norton gives us a soul broken into fragments. The play, inevitably can only deliver a precis of a book that sprawls over some 700 pages."

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2023

In character as Bobby, the museum’s chief curator, Eichner gave a brief precis of Hirschfeld’s career, finishing with an ad-lib, “Tragically, he’s also my type.”

From New York Times ● May 18, 2022

Of course, an enjoyable but slightly uneven patchwork could be an apt description of life itself, not just a precis of Christopher Buckley’s civilized, light entertainment.

From Washington Post ● May 1, 2018

“That document, you understand,” said Poirot, “is a mere precis of the evidence we heard, arranged that way for convenience.”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie