definitions

precise

[ pri-sahys ]
/ prɪˈsaɪs /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR precise ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

particular, actual, explicit, decisive, definite, specific, strict, literal, rigid, clear-cut, proper, rigorous, narrow, correct, scrupulous, careful, exact, formal, absolute, categorical

Nearby words

precipitin test, precipitinogen, precipitious, precipitous, precis, precise, precisely, preciseness, precisian, precision, precision bombing

Origin of precise

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin praecīsus curtailed, brief, orig. past participle of praecīdere to cut off, cut short, equivalent to prae- pre- + -cīsus, combining form of caesus, past participle of caedere to cut
Related forms
Can be confusedprécis precise

Synonym study

1. See correct.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for precise

British Dictionary definitions for precise

precise

/ (prɪˈsaɪs) /

adjective

strictly correct in amount or valuea precise sum
designating a certain thing and no other; particularthis precise location
using or operating with total accuracyprecise instruments
strict in observance of rules, standards, etca precise mind
Derived Formspreciseness, noun

Word Origin for precise

C16: from French précis, from Latin praecīdere to curtail, from prae before + caedere to cut
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for precise

precise

adj.

mid-15c., from Middle French précis "condensed, cut short" (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin precisus, from Latin praecisus "abrupt, abridged, cut off," past participle of praecidere "to cut off, shorten," from prae "before" (see pre-) + caedere "to cut" (see -cide; for Latin vowel change, see acquisition). Related: Precisely (late 14c.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper