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precious

 [presh-uhs]   Example Sentences Origin

pre·cious

   [presh-uhs]
adjective
1.
of high price or great value; very valuable or costly: precious metals.
2.
highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality: precious memories.
3.
dear; beloved: a precious child.
4.
affectedly or excessively delicate, refined, or nice: precious manners.
5.
flagrant; gross: a precious fool.
noun
6.
a dearly beloved person; darling.

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Precious is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
adverb
7.
extremely; very: She wastes precious little time.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English preciose (< Old French precios) < Latin pretiōsus costly, valuable, equivalent to preti(um) price, value + -ōsus -ous

Related forms
pre·cious·ly, adverb
pre·cious·ness, noun
non·pre·cious, adjective
non·pre·cious·ly, adverb
non·pre·cious·ness, noun
EXPAND
un·pre·cious, adjective
un·pre·cious·ly, adverb
un·pre·cious·ness, noun
COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. See valuable. 3. darling, cherished.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To precious
Example Sentences
  • Townships plagued by flooding could gain precious time to make preparations.
  • As in many areas of the West, water is precious ― a limited commodity.
  • The precious is the best and can let us feel noble whose desire lurks in our heart.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
precious (ˈprɛʃəs)
 
—adj
1.  beloved; dear; cherished
2.  very costly or valuable
3.  held in high esteem, esp in moral or spiritual matters
4.  very fastidious or affected, as in speech, manners, etc
5.  informal worthless: you and your precious ideas!
 
—adv
6.  informal (intensifier): there's precious little left
 
[C13: from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus valuable, from pretium price, value]
 
'preciously
 
—adv
 
'preciousness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

precious
late 13c., from O.Fr. precios (11c., Fr. précieux), from L. pretiosus "costly, valuable," from pretium "value, worth, price" (see price). Meaning "over-refined" first recorded c.1395. Precieuse "a woman aiming at refined delicacy of language and taste" (1727) is from
EXPAND
Fr. précieuse, noun use of fem. of précieux, especially as lampooned in Molière's comedy "Les Précieuses ridicules" (1659).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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