precocious
[ pri-koh-shuhs ]
/ prɪˈkoʊ ʃəs /
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adjective
unusually advanced or mature in development, especially mental development: a precocious child.
prematurely developed, as the mind, faculties, etc.
of or relating to premature development.
Botany.
- flowering, fruiting, or ripening early, as plants or fruit.
- bearing blossoms before leaves, as plants.
- appearing before leaves, as flowers.
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Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
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Words nearby precocious
precisive, preclimax, preclinical, preclude, precocial, precocious, precocious puberty, precocity, precognition, precollagenous fiber, precolonial
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for precocious
British Dictionary definitions for precocious
precocious
/ (prɪˈkəʊʃəs) /
adjective
ahead in development, such as the mental development of a child
botany (of plants, fruit, etc) flowering or ripening early
Derived forms of precocious
precociously, adverbprecociousness or precocity (prɪˈkɒsɪtɪ), nounWord Origin for precocious
C17: from Latin praecox early maturing, from prae early + coquere to ripen
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for precocious
precocious
[ prĭ-kō′shəs ]
adj.
Showing unusually early development or maturity.
Other words from precocious
pre•coc′ity (-kŏs′ĭ-tē) null n.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for precocious
precocious
[ prĭ-kō′shəs ]
Relating to or having flowers that blossom before the leaves emerge. Some species of magnolias are precocious.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.