Crossword clues for precocious
precocious
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Precocious \Pre*co"cious\, a. [L. praecox, -ocis, and praecoquus, fr. praecoquere to cook or ripen beforehand; prae before + coquere to cook. See 3d Cook, and cf. Apricot.]
Ripe or mature before the proper or natural time; early or prematurely ripe or developed; as, precocious trees. [R.]
--Sir T. Browne.Developed more than is natural or usual at a given age; exceeding what is to be expected of one's years; too forward; -- used especially of mental forwardness; as, a precocious child; precocious talents.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1640s, "developed before the usual time" (of plants), with -ous + Latin praecox (genitive praecocis) "maturing early," from prae "before" (see pre-) + coquere "to ripen," literally "to cook" (see cook (n.)). Originally of flowers or fruits. Figurative use, of persons, dates from 1670s. Related: Precociously; precociousness.
Wiktionary
a. Characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity.
WordNet
adj. characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude); "a precocious child"; "a precocious achievement" [ant: retarded]
appearing or developing early; "precocious flowers appear before the leaves as in some species of magnolias"
Wikipedia
Precocious (foaled 4 April 1981) was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He raced only as a two-year-old, with his career being restricted to a period of less than four months between April and August 1983. After winning a highly competitive maiden race on his racecourse debut he went on to win the National Stakes, Norfolk Stakes, Molecomb Stakes and Gimcrack Stakes. In all, he was unbeaten in five races and was never seriously challenged. Shortly after his win in the Gimcrack he sustained an injury which ended his racing career. He stood as a breeding stallion in England and Sweden with moderate results and died in 2006.
Usage examples of "precocious".
This was to be the use to me of the lessons of the precocious, affectionate, and philoprogenitive Harkness.
She was not, then, a childish and ill-educated young woman, as she looked, but a highly precocious and intelligent preadolescent girl.
By the age of five, the pint-sized prodigy was apprenticed to Signor Blitz, the greatest of all the magicians in the world, and by his twelfth year, the precocious prestidigitator was the favorite of the sultans and sheiks of far-away lands.
VII Fra Paolo Sarpi--this friar so grave and great and unemotional--had been since he had entered the convent in his precocious boyhood the central figure, fascinating the interest of his community by the marvel of his progress, so that those who had been his teachers stood reverently aside, before he had attained to manhood, recognizing gifts beyond their leading which had already won homage from the savants of Europe and crowned the order of the Servi with unexampled honors.
This constitutes an excellent form of enciphered code, and just how precocious Alberti was may be seen by the fact that the major powers of the earth did not begin to encipher their code messages until 400 years later, near the end of the 19th century, and even then their systems were much simpler than this.
However, there are many authentic cases of infantile menstruation on record, which were generally associated with precocious development in other parts as well.
She is but ten years old -- two years short of her courses even if she proves precocious as I.
However, a precocious springtide brought with it that March such balmy warmth and sunshine that the only ill-effect she experienced was a little fatigue.
Sara was only thirteen, but she was extremely precocious, dark complexioned, and full of wit; she was continually uttering naivetes, of which she understood the whole force, although looking at her face one would have thought her perfectly innocent.
He played a lone hand, and with what precocious diplomacy he played that curious hand was attested by the fact that Carlie was brilliantly esteemed by parents and guardians in general.
Sara was only thirteen, but she was extremely precocious, dark complexioned, and full of wit.
Oskar would have done better to stay by the high altar or to mind his business in the vicinity of the confessional than to venture into the company of these two boys with that precocious look in their eyes which bore a terrifying resemblance to his own.
She was too precocious, and wanted much more discretion in her education than Madame Cornelis was able to give her.
I offered to help in Adelaide's education, but Madame Soavi laughed, and said,-- "Fox, you have deceived so many tender pullets, that I don't like to trust you with this one, for fear of your making her too precocious.
Born Francis Bret Harte in Albany, New York, in 1836, he was a precocious child who at the age of five burlesqued his school primers.