The meaning of the word precious

What does the word precious mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word precious is an adjective that means valuable and important. Precious can also be used to mean cute or to refer to something one has fond affection for. The word precious is two syllables – pre-cious, and the pronunciation of precious is  ˈprɛʃəs. The suffixes ness and ly can be added to the end of precious to make preciously (adv.) and preciousness (n.)

Many different things can be precious, such as precious memories, a precious jewel or precious stones like diamonds, sapphire, emerald, rubies, or other such precious jewels and gem, a precious fool, precious rights, a precious resource, a precious treasured heirloom, a precious values friend or cherished friend, cute mannerisms, a precious performance, a precious asset, and other things made of great material, having monetary value, or much reverence and bring helf in high esteem. 

Many different languages also contain words that mean precious. You may notice that some of these translations of precious look and sound similar to the word precious. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that look, sound, and eman something slimalir while they are words of different languages. These are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations of the word precious is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Swedish: dyrbar‎
  •  Bulgarian: скъпоце́нен‎, це́нен‎, скъп‎
  •  German: kostbar‎, wertvoll‎
  •  Latin: pretiōsus‎
  •  Belarusian: кашто́ўны‎, дарагі́‎
  •  Scottish Gaelic: prìseil‎, luachmhor‎
  •  Khmer: ដ៏មានតម្លៃ‎ (dɑɑ mien tɑmlay)
  •  Bokmål: dyrebar‎
  •  Burmese: အဖိုးတန်‎
  •  Indonesian: berharga‎
  •  Romanian: prețios‎
  •  Czech: drahocenný‎, vzácný‎, drahý‎
  •  Portuguese: precioso‎
  •  Greek: πολύτιμος‎
  •  Roman: dragocen‎, drag‎
  •  Slovak: vzácny‎, drahý‎
  •  Japanese: 大切‎
  •  Russian: драгоце́нный‎, це́нный‎, дорого́й‎
  •  Lithuanian: brangus‎
  •  French: précieux‎
  •  Maltese: prezzjuż‎
  •  Armenian: թանկարժեք‎
  •  Spanish: precioso‎
  •  Hebrew: יָקָר‎
  •  Uzbek: qimmatbaho‎, qimmat‎
  •  Persian: گرانبها‎ (garânbahâ)
  •  Georgian: ძვირფასი‎
  •  Polish: cenny‎, drogocenny‎, drogi‎
  •  Hawaiian: makamae‎, hiwahiwa‎
  •  Turkmen: gymmatbaha‎
  •  Macedonian: скапоцен‎, скап‎
  •  Tajik: гаронбаҳо‎, қиматбаҳо‎
  •  Mongolian: үнэгэн‎
  •  Asturian: preciosu‎
  •  Cyrillic: драгоцен‎, драг‎
  •  Albanian: i çmuar‎
  •  Slovene: dragocen‎
  •  Ukrainian: дорогоці́нний‎, кошто́вний‎, дороги́й‎
  •  Irish: luachmhar‎, lómhar‎, maoineach‎
  •  Danish: dyrebar‎
  •  Mandarin: 寶貴‎, 宝贵‎ (bǎoguì)
  •  Maori: marihi‎
  •  Dutch: kostbaar‎,waardevol‎
  •  Kyrgyz: кымбаттуу‎, асыл‎
  •  Estonian: väärtuslik‎
  •  Old Provençal: precios‎
  •  Vietnamese: quý‎, quý báu‎
  •  Hungarian: értékes‎, drága‎, becses‎
  •  Occitan: preciós‎
  •  Marathi: मूल्यवान‎
  •  Azeri: qiymətli‎
  •  Catalan: preciós‎
  •  Thai: มีค่า‎ (mee kâa), มีประโยชน์‎ (mee bprà-yòht)
  •  Latvian: dārgs‎
  •  Finnish: kallisarvoinen‎
  •  Turkish: değerli‎, kıymetli‎
  •  Telugu: అమూల్యమైన‎
  •  Korean: 귀중한‎
  •  Icelandic: dýrmætur‎
  •  Galician: precioso‎
  •  Italian: prezioso‎
  •  Arabic: ثَمِين‎
  •  Hindi: क़ीमती‎, प्यारा‎
  •  Kazakh: асыл‎, гауһар‎
  •  Cherokee: ᎦᎸᏉᏗ‎

What are synonyms and antonyms of precious?

There are many different words that a person can use in place of the word precious. These words with the same definition as the word precious are called synonyms. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your vocabulary, as well as to avoid repeating yourself in spoken and written English. This list of synonyms of precious is from Power Thesaurus. 

  •  esteemed
  •  inestimable
  •  rich
  •  wanted
  •  pricey
  •  chichi
  •  fine
  •  artificial
  •  loved
  •  pet
  •  valued
  •  cute
  •  favourite
  •  valuable
  •  preciously
  •  invaluable
  •  pretentious
  •  prized
  •  adored
  •  cutesy
  •  choice
  •  treasure
  •  priceless
  •  sweet
  •  beloved
  •  love
  •  venerated
  •  honey
  •  baby
  •  revered
  •  beautiful
  •  sweetie
  •  sugar
  •  dear
  •  sweetheart
  •  overrefined
  •  darling
  •  treasured
  •  attractive
  •  expensive
  •  admired
  •  high-priced
  •  beyond price
  •  dearest
  •  favorite
  •  cherished
  •  idolized
  •  costly
  •  affected

There are also numerous different words with the opposite meaning as precious. These are called antonyms, which are another great way to expand your English language vocabulary. These antonyms for precious are also provided by Power Thesaurus. 

  •  el cheapo
  •  free-of-charge
  •  disfavored
  •  vile
  •  foul
  •  abhorred
  •  contemptible
  •  affordable
  •  unpleasant
  •  repulsive
  •  of no worth
  •  useless
  •  low class
  •  keenly priced
  •  lousy
  •  horrible
  •  awful
  •  reasonably priced
  •  valueless
  •  outcast
  •  impaired
  •  disgusting
  •  hated
  •  nasty
  •  not good
  •  moderately priced
  •  inferior
  •  worthless
  •  trashy
  •  defective
  •  of no value
  •  unworthy
  •  obnoxious
  •  cheap and nasty
  •  about as useful as a chocolate teapot
  •  dirt cheap
  •  artless
  •  appalling
  •  going for a song
  •  distasteful
  •  marked down
  •  unbeloved
  •  discounted
  •  despised
  •  marginalized
  •  dreadful
  •  reasonable
  •  cheap and cheerful
  •  cheap
  •  inexpensive

What is the origin of the word precious?

According to Etymonline, the word precious has been used since the c13 Middle English preciose and comes from the Old French precios which is now the  Modern French précieux. This comes from the Latin pretiosus/Latin pretiōsus valuable, from the Latin pretium price, of Proto-Indo-European roots.

How can the word precious be used in a sentence?

The word precious can be used in many different ways in natural sounding English. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions. You can also try making flashcards or a quiz to test your knowledge of different words’ definitions. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are several examples of the word precious being used in a sentence to help get your started. 

He was heartbroken when his previous, valued friend left for Princeton University.

The fellow artists were jealous of the high price that the precious ceramic work went for.

There was little left of her previous photographs after the robbery by the other females in her dormitory. 

It was his intrinsic nature to protect his previous daughter with great esteem and tenderness. These admirable qualities and behavior made him have high value to his wife. 

Um, don’t you think you’re being a bit precious when it comes to spiritual matters? To each their own, you don’t need to quote the Bible when you think someone does something bad. 

He believed his precious ideas had high worth, but they were dated and boring. 

Overall, the word precious means high valued. This word is of Latin origin.

Sources:

  1. precious: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  2. Precious synonyms – 1 499 Words and Phrases for Precious | Power Thesaurus
  3. Precious antonyms – 466 Opposites of Precious | Power Thesaurus 
  4. Precious definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
  5. precious | Origin and meaning of precious | Online Etymology Dictionary 

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Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • pretious (obsolete)

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English precious, borrowed from Old French precios (valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also affected, finical), from Latin pretiōsus (of great value, costly, dear, precious), from pretium (value, price); see price.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/
  • Rhymes: -ɛʃəs

Adjective[edit]

precious (comparative more precious, superlative most precious)

  1. Of high value or worth.
    • 2013 August 16, Polly Toynbee, “Britain’s booming birthrate”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 10, page 21:

      People are a good thing, the most precious resource in a rich economy, so the progressive-minded feel. Only misanthropists disagree or the dottier Malthusians who send green-ink tweets deploring any state assistance for child-rearing.

    The crown had many precious gemstones.   This building work needs site access, and tell the city council that I don’t care about a few lorry tyre ruts across their precious grass verge.

  2. Regarded with love or tenderness.

    My precious daughter is to marry.

  3. (derogatory) Treated with too much reverence.

    He spent hours painting the eyes of the portrait, which his fellow artists regarded as a bit precious.

  4. (informal, derogatory) Blasted; damned.
    • 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby:

      It’s all owing to your precious caution that they got hold of it. If you had let me burn it, and taken my word that it was gone, it would have been a heap of ashes behind the fire, instead of being whole and sound, inside of my great-coat.

  5. (derogatory) Contrived to be cute or charming.
    • 2012 May 24, Nathan Rabin, “Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3”, in The Onion AV Club:

      In the abstract, Stuhlbarg’s twinkly-eyed sidekick suggests Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 2 by way of late-period Robin Williams with an alien twist, but Stuhlbarg makes a character that easily could have come across as precious into a surprisingly palatable, even charming man.

  6. (colloquial) Thorough; utter.
    a precious rascal

Synonyms[edit]

  • (of high value): dear, valuable
  • (contrived to charm): saccharine, syrupy, twee

Derived terms[edit]

  • nonprecious
  • Precious Blood
  • precious metal
  • precious stone
  • preciously
  • preciousness
  • semiprecious

[edit]

  • appraise
  • appreciate
  • depreciate
  • praise
  • preciosity
  • precious few
  • precious little
  • price

Translations[edit]

of high value or worth

  • Afrikaans: kosbaar
  • Albanian: i çmuar
  • Arabic: ثَمِين(ṯamīn)
  • Armenian: թանկարժեք (hy) (tʿankaržekʿ)
  • Asturian: preciosu
  • Azerbaijani: qiymətli (az)
  • Belarusian: кашто́ўны (kaštóŭny), дарагі́ (darahí)
  • Bengali: please add this translation if you can
  • Breton: prizius (br)
  • Bulgarian: скъпоце́нен (bg) (skǎpocénen), це́нен (bg) (cénen), скъп (bg) (skǎp)
  • Burmese: အဖိုးတန် (my) (a.hpui:tan)
  • Catalan: preciós (ca)
  • Cherokee: ᎦᎸᏉᏗ (galvquodi)
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 寶貴宝贵 (zh) (bǎoguì)
  • Czech: drahocenný (cs), vzácný (cs), drahý (cs)
  • Danish: dyrebar
  • Dutch: kostbaar (nl),waardevol (nl)
  • Esperanto: kara, kosta (eo), valorega
  • Estonian: väärtuslik
  • Finnish: kallisarvoinen (fi)
  • French: précieux (fr)
  • Galician: precioso
  • Georgian: ძვირფასი (ʒvirpasi)
  • German: kostbar (de), wertvoll (de)
  • Greek: πολύτιμος (el) (polýtimos)
  • Hawaiian: makamae, hiwahiwa
  • Hebrew: יָקָר (he) m (yaqár)
  • Hindi: क़ीमती (qīmtī), प्यारा (hi) (pyārā)
  • Hungarian: értékes (hu), drága (hu), becses (hu)
  • Icelandic: dýrmætur (is)
  • Indonesian: berharga (id)
  • Irish: luachmhar, lómhar, maoineach
  • Italian: prezioso (it)
  • Japanese: 大切な (ja) (たいせつな, taisetsu-na)
  • Kannada: please add this translation if you can
  • Kazakh: асыл (asyl), қимас (qimas)
  • Khmer: ដ៏មានតម្លៃ (dɑɑ mien tɑmlay)
  • Korean: 귀중한 (gwijunghan)
  • Kyrgyz: кымбаттуу (ky) (kımbattuu), асыл (ky) (asıl)
  • Lao: please add this translation if you can
  • Latin: pretiōsus
  • Latvian: dārgs
  • Lithuanian: brangus (lt)
  • Macedonian: скапоцен (skapocen), скап (skap)
  • Malayalam: please add this translation if you can
  • Maltese: prezzjuż
  • Maori: marihi, matahīapo, puiaki, puipuiaki, mōmōhanga
  • Marathi: मूल्यवान (mūlyavān)
  • Mongolian: үнэгэн (ünegen)
  • Nepali: अमूल्य (ne) (amūlya)
  • Norwegian:
    Bokmål: dyrebar (no)
  • Occitan: preciós (oc)
  • Old Occitan: precios
  • Persian: گرانبها (fa) (gerânbahâ)
  • Polish: cenny (pl), drogocenny (pl), drogi (pl)
  • Portuguese: precioso (pt)
  • Romanian: prețios (ro)
  • Russian: драгоце́нный (ru) (dragocénnyj), це́нный (ru) (cénnyj), дорого́й (ru) (dorogój)
  • Scottish Gaelic: prìseil, luachmhor
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic: драгоцен, драг
    Roman: dragocen (sh), drag (sh)
  • Sinhalese: please add this translation if you can
  • Slovak: vzácny, drahý
  • Slovene: dragocen
  • Spanish: precioso (es)
  • Swedish: dyrbar (sv)
  • Tajik: гаронбаҳо (tg) (garonbaho), қиматбаҳо (qimatbaho)
  • Tamil: விலையுர்ந்த (vilaiyurnta), விலைமதிப்பற்ற (ta) (vilaimatippaṟṟa)
  • Telugu: అమూల్యమైన (te) (amūlyamaina)
  • Thai: มีค่า (mee kâa), มีประโยชน์ (mee bprà-yòht)
  • Turkish: değerli (tr), kıymetli (tr)
  • Turkmen: gymmatbaha
  • Ukrainian: дорогоці́нний (dorohocínnyj), кошто́вний (uk) (koštóvnyj), дороги́й (dorohýj)
  • Urdu: قیمتی(qīmtī)
  • Uyghur: please add this translation if you can
  • Uzbek: qimmatbaho (uz), qimmat (uz)
  • Vietnamese: quý (vi), quý báu (vi)

regarded with love

  • Bulgarian: любим (bg) (ljubim)
  • Greek: πολύτιμος (el) (polýtimos)
  • Hebrew: יָקָר (he) m (yaqár)
  • Italian: prezioso (it), adorato (it), unico (it)
  • Plautdietsch: leef
  • Turkish: değerli (tr), kıymetli (tr)

Noun[edit]

precious (plural preciouses)

  1. Someone (or something) who is loved; a darling.
    • 1937, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
      “It isn’t fair, my precious, is it, to ask us what it’s got in its nassty little pocketses?”
    • 1909, Mrs. Teignmouth Shore, The Pride of the Graftons (page 57)
      She sat down with the dogs in her lap. «I won’t neglect you for any one, will I, my preciouses

Adverb[edit]

precious (not comparable)

  1. Very; an intensifier.
    There is precious little we can do.
    precious few pictures of him exist

Usage notes[edit]

This adverb is chiefly used before few and little; usage with other adjectives (slight, small, scant) is much more sporadic, and is in any case limited to the semantic field of “little, small, scarce, few”.

Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • precious on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • precious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • “precious”, in The Century Dictionary [], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
  • 1
    precious

    precious [ˊpreʃəs]

    1) драгоце́нный;

    2) дорого́й; люби́мый;

    3) мане́рно-изы́сканный

    3.

    adv разг.

    о́чень, здо́рово;

    Англо-русский словарь Мюллера > precious

  • 2
    precious

    Персональный Сократ > precious

  • 3
    precious

    [ˈpreʃəs]

    precious разг. употр. для усиления: do not be in such a precious hurry не спешите так; he has got into a precious mess он попал в весьма трудное положение precious разг. употр. для усиления: do not be in such a precious hurry не спешите так; he has got into a precious mess он попал в весьма трудное положение precious любимый; my precious мой милый precious разг. употр. для усиления: do not be in such a precious hurry не спешите так; he has got into a precious mess он попал в весьма трудное положение precious дорогой; любимый; a precious friend you have been! ирон. хорош друг! precious драгоценный; precious stone драгоценный камень precious драгоценный precious любимый; my precious мой милый precious манерно-изысканный precious очень, здорово; they took precious little notice они и внимания не обратили precious совершенный precious дорогой; любимый; a precious friend you have been! ирон. хорош друг! precious драгоценный; precious stone драгоценный камень stone: precious precious драгоценный камень precious очень, здорово; they took precious little notice они и внимания не обратили

    English-Russian short dictionary > precious

  • 4
    precious

    ˈpreʃəs
    1. прил.
    1) а) драгоценный;
    большой ценности precious stone ≈ драгоценный камень precious metal ≈ благородный металл Happiness was the most precious gift. ≈ Счастье было самым драгоценным даром. б) дорогой;
    любимый You’re so precious to me. ≈ Ты так дорог мне.
    2) необ. неестественный, слишком педантичный( о поведении) ;
    вычурный;
    изощренный I hate the precious way she speaks. ≈ Я ненавижу ее вычурную манеру говорить. Syn: fastidious
    3) разг. употр. для усиления;
    выражает неприязнь и раздражение do not be in such a precious hurry ≈ не торопись уж так You and your precious car — it’s all you are interested in! ≈ Тебя интересуют только ты сам и твоя драгоценная кошка!
    2. сущ. любимый (человек) ;
    любимая my precious ≈ мой любимый Syn: darling
    3. нареч.;
    разг. весьма, очень, сильно A lot of people will start, but precious few will finish. ≈ Многие люди начнут, но очень немногие закончат. Syn: very, extremely
    любимый, дорогой — my * мой любимый, мой дорогой, мой драгоценный, мой ненаглядный драгоценный — * stones драгоценные камни — * metals благородные металлы — * time драгоценное время — * knowledge ценные знания дорогой, любимый — * recollections дорогие воспоминания — my * darling мой любимый, мой драгоценный, мойй ненаглядный — his devotion is very * to me я очень ценю его преданность — this ring is * to me because of its associations это кольцо дорого мне из-за связанных с ним воспоминаний манерный, изощренный;
    изысканный (о языке, слоге) (эмоционально-усилительно) совершенный, абсолютный — a * rascal настоящий мошенник — a * funk отъявленный трус — to make a * mess of things здорово запутать дела — what a * friend! хорош друг! — a * sight of himself он слишком высокого мнения о себе — a * pair ничего себе /та еще/ парочка — do not be in such a * hurry! не летите сломя голову! — a * fool I should look! я бы выглядел настоящим дураком! (разговорное) прекрасный, замечательный — her little house is just *! ее домик так мил! (разговорное) (эмоционально-усилительно) очень, весьма, здорово — * few очень мало — he took * good care of that он очень заботился об этом — it is * cold здорово холодно — there is * little hope надежды почти нет
    precious разг. употр. для усиления: do not be in such a precious hurry не спешите так;
    he has got into a precious mess он попал в весьма трудное положение
    precious разг. употр. для усиления: do not be in such a precious hurry не спешите так;
    he has got into a precious mess он попал в весьма трудное положение
    ~ любимый;
    my precious мой милый
    precious разг. употр. для усиления: do not be in such a precious hurry не спешите так;
    he has got into a precious mess он попал в весьма трудное положение ~ дорогой;
    любимый;
    a precious friend you have been! ирон. хорош друг! ~ драгоценный;
    precious stone драгоценный камень ~ драгоценный ~ любимый;
    my precious мой милый ~ манерно-изысканный ~ очень, здорово;
    they took precious little notice они и внимания не обратили ~ совершенный
    ~ дорогой;
    любимый;
    a precious friend you have been! ирон. хорош друг!
    ~ драгоценный;
    precious stone драгоценный камень stone: precious ~ драгоценный камень
    ~ очень, здорово;
    they took precious little notice они и внимания не обратили

    Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > precious

  • 5
    precious

    1. [ʹpreʃəs]

    любимый, дорогой

    my precious — мой любимый, мой дорогой, мой драгоценный, мой ненаглядный

    2. [ʹpreʃəs]

    1. драгоценный

    2. дорогой, любимый

    my precious darling — мой любимый, мой драгоценный, мой ненаглядный

    this ring is precious to me because of its associations — это кольцо дорого мне из-за связанных с ним воспоминаний

    3. манерный, изощрённый; изысканный ()

    4.

    совершенный, абсолютный

    what a precious friend! — хорош друг!

    a precious pair — ничего себе /та ещё/ парочка

    do not be in such a precious hurry! — не летите сломя голову!

    a precious fool I should look! — я бы выглядел настоящим дураком!

    5.

    прекрасный, замечательный

    her little house is just precious! — её домик так мил!

    3. [ʹpreʃəs]

    разг. эмоц.-усил.

    очень, весьма, здорово

    НБАРС > precious

  • 6
    precious

    1. n любимый, дорогой

    my precious — мой любимый, мой дорогой, мой драгоценный, мой ненаглядный

    2. a драгоценный

    3. a дорогой, любимый

    4. a манерный, изощрённый; изысканный

    5. a эмоц. -усил. совершенный, абсолютный

    6. a разг. прекрасный, замечательный

    7. adv разг. эмоц.-усил. очень, весьма, здорово

    Синонимический ряд:

    1. affected (adj.) affected; alembicated; artificial; chichi; la-di-da; mannered; overnice; overrefined; precieux

    2. delicate (adj.) choice; dainty; delicate; fragile; pretty; refined; select

    3. favorite (adj.) beloved; blue-eyed; cherished; darling; dear; fair-haired; favorite; favoured; favourite; loved; pet; prized; white-haired; white-headed

    4. nice (adj.) choosy; clerkish; fastidious; finical; finicking; finicky; fussy; miminy-piminy; nice; niminy-piminy; old-maidish; old-womanish; particular; pernickety; persnickety; picksome; picky; squeamish; squeamy

    5. pretentious (adj.) arty; contrived; pretentious

    6. valuable (adj.) costly; expensive; fine; inestimable; invaluable; priceless; rare; superior; valuable; worthy

    Антонимический ряд:

    defective; deficient; faulty; hated; immaterial; impaired; imperfect; inexpensive; insignificant; ordinary; trashy; trifling; ugly; worthless

    English-Russian base dictionary > precious

  • 7
    precious

    [‘preʃəs]
    1.

    прил.

    1)

    а) драгоценный; большой ценности

    Happiness is the most precious gift. — Счастье — самый драгоценный дар.

    б) дорогой; любимый

    You’re so precious to me. — Ты так дорог мне.

    2) манерный, педантичный ; вычурный; изощрённый

    I hate the precious way she speaks. — Я ненавижу её вычурную манеру говорить.

    Syn:

    3)

    разг.

    совершенный, абсолютный

    Do not be in such a precious hurry. — Не торопись уж так.

    2.

    сущ.

    любимый (человек); любимая

    Syn:

    3.

    ;

    разг.

    весьма, очень, сильно

    A lot of people will start, but precious few will finish. — Многие люди начнут, но очень немногие закончат.

    Syn:

    Англо-русский современный словарь > precious

  • 8
    precious

    I

    infml

    Look here, precious, it’s none of your busineses as I can see — Послушай, дорогая, по-моему, ты лезешь не в свое дело

    II

    infml

    «Give my ball back!» «Here, take your precious ball» — «Отдай назад мой мяч!» — «На, возьми свой долбаный мяч»

    III

    infml

    The new dictionary of modern spoken language > precious

  • 9
    precious

    Англо-русский синонимический словарь > precious

  • 10
    precious

    1) драгоценный; precious stone драгоценный камень

    2) дорогой; любимый; а precious friend you have been! iron. хорош друг!

    3) манерно-изысканный

    4)

    collocation

    употр. для усиления: do not be in such a precious hurry не спешите так; he has got into a precious mess он попал в весьма трудное положение

    Syn:

    artistic

    любимый; my precious мой милый

    очень, здорово; they took precious little notice они и внимания не обратили

    * * *

    (a) благородный; драгоценный

    * * *

    * * *

    [pre·cious || ‘preʃəs]
    драгоценный, заповедный, дорогой, любимый, изысканный, манерно изысканный
    очень, здорово

    * * *

    дорогой

    дорогостоящий

    драгоценен

    драгоценный

    ценный

    * * *

    1. прил.
    1) а) драгоценный; большой ценности
    б) дорогой
    2) необ. неестественный, слишком педантичный (о поведении)
    3) разг. употр. для усиления; выражает неприязнь и раздражение
    2. сущ.
    любимый (человек)
    3. нареч.; разг.
    весьма

    Новый англо-русский словарь > precious

  • 11
    precious

    [‘preʃəs]

    adj

    драгоценный, благородный

    Happiness was the most precious gift. — Счастье было самым драгоценным даром

    precious stone


    — precious metal

    English-Russian combinatory dictionary > precious

  • 12
    precious

    2000 самых употребительных английских слов > precious

  • 13
    precious

    English-Russian big polytechnic dictionary > precious

  • 14
    precious

    English-Russian big medical dictionary > precious

  • 15
    precious

    Англо-русский технический словарь > precious

  • 16
    precious

    [‘preʃəs]

    1) Общая лексика: благородный, дорогой, драгоценный, заветный, здорово, красивый, любимый, манерно-изысканный, отборный, очень, служебное слово , изысканный , важный, ценный

    Универсальный англо-русский словарь > precious

  • 17
    precious

    The Americanisms. English-Russian dictionary. > precious

  • 18
    precious I

    Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > precious I

  • 19
    precious II

    Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > precious II

  • 20
    precious!

    здорово! ;

    Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > precious!

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См. также в других словарях:

  • Precious — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «Precious» Sencillo de Depeche Mode del álbum Playing the Angel Lado B «Free» Publicación 3 de octubre de 2005 en …   Wikipedia Español

  • Precious — Données clés Titre original Precious Réalisation Lee Daniels Scénario Geoffrey S. Fletcher d après le roman de « Sapphire » Acteurs principaux Gabourey Sidibe Mo Nique Paula …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Precious — may refer to:In music: * Precious (band), a British band * Precious (Chanté Moore album) * Precious (Cubic U album) * Precious (Ours album) * Precious (Loïs Lane album), an album by Loïs Lane * Precious (Yuna Ito song), from the album Heart *… …   Wikipedia

  • Precious — Pre cious, a. [OF. precious, precius, precios, F. pr[ e]cieux, L. pretiosus, fr. pretium price, worth, value. See {Price}.] 1. Of great price; costly; as, a precious stone. The precious bane. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. Of great value or worth;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Precious — bezeichnet: Precious (Band), britische Pop Gruppe Precious – Das Leben ist kostbar, US amerikanisches Filmdrama (2009) Precious ist der Name folgender Personen: Precious Dede (* 1980), nigerianische Fußballspielerin Precious Wilson (* 1957),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • precious — ► ADJECTIVE 1) having great value. 2) greatly loved or treasured. 3) ironic considerable: a precious lot you know! 4) derogatory affectedly concerned with elegant or refined language or manners. ● precious little (or few) Cf. ↑precious little …   English terms dictionary

  • precious — [adj1] favorite, valued adored, beloved, cherished, darling, dear, dearest, idolized, inestimable, loved, pet, prized, treasured; concepts 529,567 Ant. disfavored, useless, valueless, worthless precious [adj2] expensive; rare choice, costly, dear …   New thesaurus

  • precious — [presh′əs] adj. [ME < OFr precios < L pretiosus < pretium, PRICE] 1. of great price or value; costly 2. of great desirability; held in high esteem [precious rights] 3. beloved; dear 4. very fastidious, overrefined, or affected, as in… …   English World dictionary

  • precious — index inestimable, invaluable, premium, priceless, rare, sterling, valuable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

  • precious — (adj.) late 13c., from O.Fr. precios (11c., Mod.Fr. précieux), from L. pretiosus costly, valuable, from pretium value, worth, price (see PRICE (Cf. price)). Meaning over refined first recorded late 14c. Precieuse a woman aiming at refined… …   Etymology dictionary

  • precious — *costly, expensive, dear, valuable, invaluable, priceless Analogous words: *choice, exquisite, recherché, rare: valued, prized, appreciated, cherished (see APPRECIATE) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

«My precious, _precious_ child,» she said, «_He_ is able to save to the ❋ Martha Finley (1868)

I know what they mean, but this is a rare case where I would use the term «precious» as a term of praise. ❋ Charles Moore (2011)

Husky and direct rather than what she calls «precious and demure,» she’s never been shy about invoking her home country one of her top early songs is called «Hockey Skates». ❋ Unknown (2012)

As for the future, Earle and Buckland hope to keep their company growing while staying true to what they call their precious recipe. ❋ Katzenberg, Laura (2008)

We are very far from understanding all the secret resources of nature; but I do not think the spontaneous formation of the crystals, which we call precious stones, one of the most difficult phenomena to comprehend. ❋ Unknown (1813)

B.C.’s Auditor-General says the provincial government isn’t doing enough to monitor and protect groundwater, which he calls a precious resource. ❋ Unknown (2010)

He is what we call a precious baby: His mother has had a hysterectomy.

I will leave my—shit, is that what you called my precious weapons and clothes? ❋ Gena Showalter (2010)

Displayed works include rare bronze Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from Gandhara and Swat; significant stupas of differing sizes, styles, and materials; reliquaries in precious materials such as gold and silver; ‘pilgrimage’ items; and important Buddhas recovered from early Chinese cultures. ❋ Mike Ragogna (2010)

UBS is advising high net worth clients to hold 7% to 10% of their assets in precious metals. ❋ Richard Wachman (2010)

Yes | No | Report from Elmer Fudd wrote 1 week 2 days ago not demand, meaning general demand for commodities, sorry, but it’s a special demand in precious metals ❋ Unknown (2010)

If you create a space for your child to express themselves this will promote an open communication channel and you will gain precious insight into where they are at. ❋ Melinda Hutchings (2010)

Pull your heads out. $42 million in precious urban renewal funds in a pile, pour gasoline on it and light it up that is what is going down here. ❋ Unknown (2009)

As far as atheists having a materialist philosophy, visit the Vatican, stuffed with valuable works of art, or the gold clad Buddhist temples, the Hindu temples with their walls studded in precious gems and tell me they are not materialistic. ❋ Unknown (2009)

[Damn] [that girl] is precious ❋ Wierd._.vibes (2015)

„your [friendship] means the world to me, precious“ „i‘m [fucking] [blessed] with precious ❋ Amicuteyesorno (2019)

[My boyfriend] is precious to me. ❋ Dead Angel (2005)

My preeecioooouuuuusss! ❋ Snebulizer/Nih+gir (2003)

Her smile is so precious.
My [daughter] looks precious [in the pink] [dress]. ❋ A Person You Dont Want To Know (2016)

«[God Damn it], Precious is staring at me with [those eyes] again! Give her those [snacks]!» ❋ Dictionarythatspeaksthetruth (2015)

[Veruca Salt] of [Charlie and the Chocolate Factory] [fame], shes precious. ❋ CheeseMonkeyEggBeansFridge (2006)

[wow] , [Aylin] is so precious [yk] ❋ Kaceyisew (2019)

because [smeagol] hasn’t had [the precious] for so long, he is in a constant state of meth [withdrawl]. ❋ Sssshhhhyyyyiiiiittttttt (2010)

[Fat bitch] at lunchline: «Oh [yess], they have Pizza!»
Me: Control yourself precious, I thought you were on a diet.
Fat bitch: gets upset and leaves the [lunch line] ❋ Hater 25 (2010)

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I’m not a potato sack; I’ve never sat on my couch. If I’m home, I’m cleaning, feeding my dogs, doing stuff. Life is too precious to waste time.

Gisele Bundchen

section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD PRECIOUS

From Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus valuable, from pretium price, value.

info

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

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section

PRONUNCIATION OF PRECIOUS

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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF PRECIOUS

Precious can act as an adjective and an adverb.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.

WHAT DOES PRECIOUS MEAN IN ENGLISH?


Definition of precious in the English dictionary

The first definition of precious in the dictionary is beloved; dear; cherished. Other definition of precious is very costly or valuable. Precious is also held in high esteem, esp in moral or spiritual matters.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH PRECIOUS

Synonyms and antonyms of precious in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS OF «PRECIOUS»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «precious» and belong to the same grammatical category.

Translation of «precious» into 25 languages

online translator

TRANSLATION OF PRECIOUS

Find out the translation of precious to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of precious from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «precious» in English.

Translator English — Chinese


宝贵的

1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English — Spanish


precioso

570 millions of speakers

English


precious

510 millions of speakers

Translator English — Hindi


अनमोल

380 millions of speakers

Translator English — Arabic


نَفِيس

280 millions of speakers

Translator English — Russian


драгоценный

278 millions of speakers

Translator English — Portuguese


precioso

270 millions of speakers

Translator English — Bengali


বহুমূল্য

260 millions of speakers

Translator English — French


précieux

220 millions of speakers

Translator English — Malay


Berharga

190 millions of speakers

Translator English — German


kostbar

180 millions of speakers

Translator English — Japanese


貴重な

130 millions of speakers

Translator English — Korean


소중한

85 millions of speakers

Translator English — Javanese


Larang regane

85 millions of speakers

Translator English — Vietnamese


quý

80 millions of speakers

Translator English — Tamil


விலைமதிப்பற்ற

75 millions of speakers

Translator English — Marathi


मौल्यवान

75 millions of speakers

Translator English — Turkish


değerli

70 millions of speakers

Translator English — Italian


prezioso

65 millions of speakers

Translator English — Polish


cenny

50 millions of speakers

Translator English — Ukrainian


цінний

40 millions of speakers

Translator English — Romanian


prețios

30 millions of speakers

Translator English — Greek


πολύτιμος

15 millions of speakers

Translator English — Afrikaans


kosbare

14 millions of speakers

Translator English — Swedish


dyrbar

10 millions of speakers

Translator English — Norwegian


verdifull

5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of precious

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «PRECIOUS»

The term «precious» is very widely used and occupies the 7.369 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.

Trends

FREQUENCY

Very widely used

The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «precious» in the different countries.

Principal search tendencies and common uses of precious

List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «precious».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «PRECIOUS» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «precious» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «precious» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about precious

10 QUOTES WITH «PRECIOUS»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word precious.

An anxious unrest, a fierce craving desire for gain has taken possession of the commercial world, and in instances no longer rare the most precious and permanent goods of human life have been madly sacrificed in the interests of momentary enrichment.

Life is such a precious gift. Whatever life throws at us, if we could just learn to get through that day and hang on to the next, you never know what may come. It may get worse, but you never know.

Is there something we have forgotten? Some precious thing we have lost, wandering in strange lands?

Any relic of the dead is precious, if they were valued living.

I realise how precious life is, probably because I’ve seen how it can be taken away.

A note of caution: We can never achieve goals that envy sets for us. Looking at your friends and wishing you had what they had is a waste of precious energy. Because we are all unique, what makes another happy may do the opposite for you. That’s why advice is nice but often disappointing when heeded.

I’m not a potato sack; I’ve never sat on my couch. If I’m home, I’m cleaning, feeding my dogs, doing stuff. Life is too precious to waste time.

When your life is as precious as all our lives are, then it needs to be kept precious and looked after and treated well. And that is not something we should be sharing with a wider audience.

Occasionally, we are given a reminder of how precious a gift it is to understand the plan of salvation.

Collaboration is no longer painful — or precious.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «PRECIOUS»

Discover the use of precious in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to precious and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

A courageous and determined young teacher opens up a new world of hope and redemption for sixteen-year-old Precious Jones, an abused young African American girl living in Harlem who was raped and left pregnant by her father.

I’ll find it, whatever it takes. Precious is the story of growing up black in a white community, of struggling to find an identity that fits amid conflicting messages, of deciphering a childhood full of secrets and dysfunction.

This is Precious’s diary, in which she honestly records her relationships and her life. Told with tremendous power, vitality and wit; this is an uncompromising and hugely enjoyable novel.

BONUS: This edition contains a Precious discussion guide and an excerpt from Sandra Novack’s Everyone but You.

5

Precious Knit Blankies for Baby

Blankets this warm and beautiful will be perfect for that special baby! Adel’s patterns to knit are designed to make the best use of yarns that are wonderfully fluffy, superbly plush— yet these patterns are quick and easy to knit!—

6

Chemistry of Precious Metals

This volume shares the same aim of covering the descriptive chemistry of silver, gold and the six platinum metals in some detail at a level suitable for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate study.

7

Precious Records: Women in China’s Long Eighteenth Century

Most analyses of gender in High Qing times have focused on literature and on the writings of the elite; this book broadens the scope of inquiry to include women’s work in the farm household, courtesan entertainment, and women’s …

8

Precious Heritage : The Status of Biodiversity in the United …

This richly illustrated volume not only documents those aspects of U.S. biodiversity that are particularly noteworthy, but also considers how our species and ecosystems are faring, what is threatening them, and what is needed to protect the …

Bruce A. Stein, Lynn S. Kutner, Jonathan S. Adams for The Nature Conservancy and the Association for Biodiversity Information, 2000

9

Hakuin’s Precious Mirror Cave: A Zen Miscellany

This collection of six diverse and independent works contains five pieces never translated into English before, some of which have been?until quite recently?unknown, even in Japan.

10

Precious Volumes: An Introduction to Chinese Sectarian …

This book, the most detailed and comprehensive study of early pao-chuan in any language, studies 34 examples of this literature from the Ming and Ch’ing dynasties in order to understand the origins and development of this textual tradition.

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «PRECIOUS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term precious is used in the context of the following news items.

Recapture a Few Precious Minutes Each Day With These 4 Tips

… to reverse the rotation of the Earth. Instead, try these tips to recapture precious hours each day by better managing the time you do have. «Entrepreneur, Jul 15»

PRECIOUS-Gold stuck near 5-1/2-year low as Fed hike looms

Money managers, who have been cooling on gold for some time, last week held more short positions than long ones in the precious metal for … «Reuters, Jul 15»

Makeshift barbershops offer free haircuts, positive connections

Precious Lives, created by 371 Productions, is a two-year series with 100 weekly radio stories about young people and gun violence … «Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jul 15»

Paranormal Corner: Witnessing the healing properties of semi …

Wood explained that the rock — a chevron amethyst —is a raw, semi-precious stone that has stress relieving qualities. Come to find out, my … «NJ.com, Jul 15»

Shave your legs, save precious seconds

Shave your legs, save precious seconds. BikeRadar editor trims legs during wind tunnel testing, shaves nearly a minute off a 40km. How much … «BikeRadar.com, Jul 15»

Tanaka Precious Metals: Electroplating Engineers of Japan …

TOKYO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Tanaka Holdings Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Akira Tanae) today … «Business Wire, Jul 15»

Precious Cargo

Leslie J. Sulpar, MSN, RN, a veteran of more than 25 years in the neonatal intensive care unit at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and elsewhere, … «Johns Hopkins Nursing Magazine, Jul 15»

Base and precious metals may trade lower as dollar gathers strength

We expect precious metals to trade lower as strength in the DX on expectations of rate hike in the US for the first time in nearly a decade will … «Business Today, Jul 15»

Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Post Comic-Con …

IMG_5664 Our friends at Weta Workshop had so many great items at Comic-Con this year. Starting from next week, and continuing for the … «TheOneRing.net, Jul 15»

Precious Metals Fundamental Analysis – July 28, 2015 – Forecast …

Precious metals tumbled to their lowest in more than five years last week and are headed for its biggest monthly loss in two years as the … «FX Empire, Jul 15»

REFERENCE

« EDUCALINGO. Precious [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/precious>. Apr 2023 ».

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