precocity
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of precocity
1630–40; < French précosité, equivalent to précose (< Latin praecoci-, stem of praecox early ripening, adj. derivative of praecoquere to bake or ripen early; see pre-, cook 1) + -ité -ity
Explanation
The noun precocity describes a smartness or skill that's achieved much earlier than usual. You'll be proud of your puppy's precocity if he is perfectly trained by the age of four months. If you're precocious, you've got the quality of precocity. You could also call it precociousness, but either way it means you're way ahead of the curve in ability or intelligence. You might comment on the precocity of your niece who learned to read when she was three, or the neighbor who started college at the age of fifteen. The root word is Latin, praecox, or "maturing early," which comes from pre, "before," and coquere, "to ripen or cook."
Vocabulary lists containing precocity
The Scarlet Letter
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The Handmaid's Tale
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The Turn of the Screw
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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.
But Pollack-Pelzner pays attention to Miranda’s stumbles and wrong turns, including a failed time-travel musical, as well as to his precocity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025
Add six ODIs and a solitary T20i, it still makes for a dismal aggregate of international appearances for a batsman whose precocity had promised a long, dazzling career.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2024
“Such precocity, such regularity, is rare, almost unique. He’s someone who, if he is not injured, can manage to score between 45 and 55 goals each year, for years to come.”
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
With warmth and humor, Hsu evokes the precocity of college life: “We stayed up so late, possessed by delirium, that we came up with a theory of everything, only we forgot to write it down.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 4, 2022
In short, it may be called a national precocity, highly dangerous to a healthy development.
From An Introduction to the History of Japan by Hara, Katsuro
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.
