precise
pronunciation
How to pronounce precise in British English:
UK [prɪˈsaɪs]
How to pronounce precise in American English:
US [prɪˈsaɪs]
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- Adjective:
- sharply exact or accurate or delimited
- (of ideas, images, representations, expressions) characterized by perfect conformity to fact or truth ; strictly correct
Word Origin
- precise
- precise: [16] Something that is precise is etymologically ‘cut off in front’. The word was acquired via French précis (subsequently borrowed as the noun précis ‘summary’ in the 18th century) from Latin praecīsus, an adjectival use of the past participle of praecīdere ‘shorten’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix prae- ‘in front’ and caedere ‘cut’ (source also of English concise, decide, excise, etc). The notion of being ‘shortened’ gradually slipped via ‘expressed shortly, leaving out extraneous matter’ to ‘exact’.=> concise, decide, excise, précis
- precise (adj.)
- mid-15c., from Middle French précis "condensed, cut short" (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin precisus, from Latin praecisus "abrupt, abridged, cut off," past participle of praecidere "to cut off, shorten," from prae "before" (see pre-) + caedere "to cut" (see -cide; for Latin vowel change, see acquisition). Related: Precisely (late 14c.).
Example
- 1. Lore created an algorithm to determine precise inventory amounts and when to reorder .
- 2. A sundial showed very precise time .
- 3. And its work seems surgically precise .
- 4. Second , they neglected the need for precise language .
- 5. For a more precise number , use the social security administration 's retirement estimator .