precious

[ presh-uh s ]
/ ˈprɛʃ əs /

adjective

noun

a dearly beloved person; darling.

adverb

extremely; very: She wastes precious little time.

Origin of precious

1250–1300; Middle English preciose (< Old French precios) < Latin pretiōsus costly, valuable, equivalent to preti(um) price, value + -ōsus -ous

SYNONYMS FOR precious

1 See valuable.
3 darling, cherished.

OTHER WORDS FROM precious

Example sentences from the Web for precious

British Dictionary definitions for precious

precious
/ (ˈprɛʃəs) /

adjective

beloved; dear; cherished
very costly or valuable
held in high esteem, esp in moral or spiritual matters
very fastidious or affected, as in speech, manners, etc
informal worthless you and your precious ideas!

adverb

informal (intensifier) there's precious little left

Derived forms of precious

preciously, adverb preciousness, noun

Word Origin for precious

C13: from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus valuable, from pretium price, value