Dictionary

precocious en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /pɹəˈkəʊʃəs/
• (Southern-England) audio
• prĭ-kō'shəs

Etymology

From Latin praecox (“premature, precocious, ripe before time, early ripe”), from praecoquō (“to ripen beforehand, ripen fully, also boil beforehand”), from prae (“before”) + coquō (“to cook, boil, ripen”). Doublet of apricot.

Meanings

1. Characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity.
   • Scotland’s most encouraging early source of an attacking threat was Andrew Robertson as the precocious left-back charged forward to good effect on a couple of occasions. 2014 November 14, Stephen Halliday, “Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero”, in The Scotsman:
   • The precocious plant was already blooming flowers by day 4.
   • Now those abominations whom you call precocious boys—your little pet monsters, doctor!—and who can wonder that the world is what it is? when it is full of them—as they will have no divine time to look back upon in their own lives, how can they believe in innocence and goodness, or be other than sons of selfishness and the Devil? 1859, George Meredith, chapter 15, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC:
   • She's precocious and she knows just / What it takes to make a pro blush 1981, Donna Weiss, Jackie DeShannon, “Bette Davis Eyes”, performed by Kim Carnes:
   • Both groups, also, have already evolved precocious (intracapsular) spore germination. 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 5:
2. Exhibiting advanced skills and aptitudes at an abnormally early age.
   • Mary: Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious / If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious. 1964, Sherman Brothers, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, in Mary Poppins, Walt Disney:
   • The precocious child began reading the newspaper at age four.

Forms

Antonyms

altricial · serotinous

Deriveds

unprecocious · precocious puberty · precociously · precociousness · precocious pseudopuberty

Relateds

prodigy · apricot · precocity

Synonyms

tranty · prodigious

Translations (60)

nn bråmoden (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · nn bråmoden (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · uk скорости́глий (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · ka ნაადრევი (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · sv brådmogen (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · sh на̀да̄рен (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · fi pikkuvanha (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · bg ранозрял (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · nn tidleg moden (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · sh prèrano razvijen (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · sv försigkommen (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · es precoz (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · nb tidlig moden (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · nl vroegvolwassen (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · fi edistynyt (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · gv appee roish yn traa (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · ka ნაადრევად განვითარებული (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · pt precoce (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · bg преждевременно развит (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · sv brådmogen (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · ru скороспе́лый (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · cmn 早熟 (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · ga seanchríonna (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · nb bråmoden (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · ga seanchríonna (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · nan-hbl lêng-lāi (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · cmn 早慧 (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · nl vroegvolwassen (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · es precoz (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · nb tidlig moden (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · el πρώιμος (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · nl vroegrijp (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · uk скороспі́лий (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · fr précoce (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · hu korán érő (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · gv appee roish yn traa (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · ka მალემზარდი (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · ca precoç (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · da tidlig moden (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · sv lillgammal (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · ca precoç (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · de altklug (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · nl vroegrijp (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · fi etevä (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · fi varhaiskypsä (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · ru не по года́м ра́звитый (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · nn tidleg moden (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · sh прѐрано развијен (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · sh nàdāren (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · da tidlig udviklet (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · la praecox (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · hu koraérett (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · cmn 早慧 (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · fr précoce (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · nb bråmoden (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · hu koravén (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · de frühreif (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · it precoce (characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity) · fi pikkuvanha (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age) · de frühreif (exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age)