The Collaborative International Dictionary
Precious \Pre"cious\, a. [OF. precious, precius, precios, F. pr['e]cieux, L. pretiosus, fr. pretium price, worth, value. See Price.]
Of great price; costly; as, a precious stone. ``The precious bane.''
--Milton.-
Of great value or worth; very valuable; highly esteemed; dear; beloved; as, precious recollections.
She is more precious than rules.
--Prov. iii. 15.Many things which are most precious are neglected only because the value of them lieth hid.
--Hooker.Note: Also used ironically; as, a precious rascal.
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Particular; fastidious; overnice; overrefined. Cf. Pr['e]cieuse, Preciosity.
Lest that precious folk be with me wroth.
--Chaucer.Elaborate embroidery of precious language.
--Saintsbury.Precious metals, the uncommon and highly valuable metals, esp. gold and silver.
Precious stones, gems; jewels.
Wiktionary
n. (precious stone English)
Usage examples of "precious stones".
Ardzrouni said, on the contrary, that they must be very precious stones, which the nomads sold at God knows what distant market, and they told this fairy tale to prevent others from collecting them.
Siherton wondered, and he wondered, too, about the potential danger of having one so devout getting involved with the precious stones.
But few dared to cross the cursed spot, and none dared to dive into the shivering water or recover the precious stones that fell from his rotting carcass.
Using the precious stones would undoubtedly alert the spirit world of their presence, but it was a gamble they would have to take if they expected to find anything in that impenetrable blackness.
Then she took the plainest cloak she could find -not her own, embroidered with gold thread and precious stones, but a servant's rough hooded wrap-and stole noiselessly down the stairs.
Pearl: The product of oysters and other mollusks, these precious stones are layers of aragonite formed around a bit of grit or other irritant.