precocious
adjective
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Precocious got its start in Latin when the prefix prae-, meaning "ahead of," was combined with the verb coquere, meaning "to cook" or "to ripen." Together, they formed the adjective praecox, which meant "early ripening" or "premature." By the mid-1600s, English speakers had turned praecox into precocious and were using it especially to describe plants that produced blossoms before their leaves came out. Within decades, precocious was also being used to describe humans who developed skills or talents sooner than others typically did. Pop music lovers may recall the lyric "She’s precocious!" from "Bette Davis Eyes," although the song itself was something of a late bloomer: originally released in 1974 by Jackie DeShannon (and cowritten by DeShannon and Donna Weiss), it didn’t become a hit until Kim Carnes’ Grammy Award-winning version was released in 1981.
Examples of precocious in a Sentence
Fred Guterl, Newsweek, 22 July 2002
As a boy, I had caught eight-inch-long, juvenile "snapper" blues in Barnegat Bay and marveled at the uncommon strength and speed and the precocious attack instinct within their slender, silver bodies.
—Pete Bodo, New York Times, 8 July 2001
… Columbus was still sailing the ocean blue and American English, frisky and rambunctious as a precocious child, was as yet unborn.
—Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2000
… no longer certain that my blackness gave me precocious wisdom, or that I could outslick these folks …
—Lorene Cary, Black Ice, 1991
She was a precocious child who could read before she went to school.
A precocious musician, he was giving concerts when he was seven.
Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2024
Noah, a precocious artist, has sketched the exact same building.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 25 Oct. 2024
Published on October 24, 2024 By Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen
Cabernet Franc is unfortunately overshadowed by its precocious offspring.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2024
Sophia, played with precocious subtlety by newcomer Emily Matthews as alert and inquisitive, but struggling with her own complicated grief, demands constant attention from Grandmother.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near precocious
Cite this Entry
“Precocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precocious. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
precocious
adjective
from Latin praecoc-, praecox "ripening early, ripening before its time," from prae- "ahead of, before" and coquere "to ripen, cook"
Medical Definition
precocious
adjective
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