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.
She published her first professional writings jointly with Jules Sandeau, a law student whose youth, naiveté and intellectual precocity won the author’s affection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Yet the most striking thing about him is not the precocity.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Mbappé has also been compared with Brazil great Pelé for his precocity.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
Youthful precocity is a given in Anderson’s movies, as are the stirrings of young love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
It appears from this juvenile production that I already acknowledged a mistress of my heart; compliance with fashion was alone responsible for my precocity.
From The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the First by Carlo Gozzi
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.
