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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

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

“Indivisible” was a bullet-pointed précis of the tactics the document’s authors had seen work against them — a guide to getting to “No.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2017

Yet Stoner had written down in his pocket-book an entry which was no more and no less than a précis of the absolute facts.

From The Borough Treasurer by Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)

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

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026

A recurring line from “First Reformed” feels like a precis for all of these: Will God forgive us?

From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2024

"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

And – again, to precis – the fashion industry looked at the collection and thought: ‘That’s exactly what I want to wear.’

From The Guardian ● Mar. 6, 2019

“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