Precious Definition

prĕshəs

adjective

Of great price or value; costly.

Webster's New World

Of high cost or worth; valuable.

Precious jewels.

American Heritage

Of great desirability; held in high esteem.

Precious rights.

Webster's New World

Highly esteemed; cherished.

Precious moments with the new baby.

American Heritage

Beloved; dear.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

One who is dear or beloved; a darling.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

adverb

Very.

Webster's New World

Used as an intensive.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

pronoun

A surname, originating as a male or female nickname.

Wiktionary

A female given name.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Precious

Singular:

precious

Plural:

preciouses

From Middle English precious, from Old French precios (“valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also affected, finical"), from Latin pretiosus (“of great value, costly, dear, precious"), from pretium (“value, price"); see price.

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old French precios from Latin pretiōsus from pretium price per-⁵ in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition