precocious

adjective

pre·​co·​cious pri-ˈkō-shəs 

1

: exceptionally early in development or occurrence

precocious puberty

2

: exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age

a precocious child

precociously adverb

precociousness noun

precocity

pri-ˈkä-sə-tē 

noun

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

• early
• inopportune
• premature
• unseasonable
• untimely

Examples of precocious in a Sentence

But what has paleontologists agog is this googol-granddaddy's precocious attributes: most notably the relative flatness of its face, which is more modern-looking than skulls half its age. —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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Luckily, his magical sleigh, reindeer and precocious elves know how to get him through the night — and the rest of the year. —Sydni Ellis, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024

Derik Queen isn’t bothered by freshman jitters Hardly anyone would have faulted the precocious youngster from Baltimore for feeling a little heat in his first true road game of the season in a hostile environment like the one created by the crowd at Mackey Arena. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 8 Dec. 2024

Out of the vast ensemble, a single voice soars: the emergence of a precocious, untested young thing to match the one on the podium. —Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024

Related article 26 states have passed laws restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth These gonadotrophin-releasing hormone drugs were first used to delay puberty for people with what’s known as precocious puberty, when a child’s body changes into that of an adult too soon. —Jen Christensen, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin praecoc-, praecox early ripening, precocious, from prae- + coquere to cook — more at cook

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

precocious

adjective

pre·​co·​cious pri-ˈkō-shəs 

: showing the qualities or abilities of an adult at an unusually early age

a precocious child

precociously adverb

precociousness noun

precocity

pri-ˈkäs-ət-ē 

noun

Etymology

from Latin praecoc-, praecox "ripening early, ripening before its time," from prae- "ahead of, before" and coquere "to ripen, cook"

Word Origin

The process of growing from a child to an adult is sometimes thought of as being like the slow ripening of fruit. That was the image which gave us the word precocious. Like many English words, precocious comes from Latin. The Latin prefix prae-, meaning "ahead of, before," and the verb coquere, meaning "to ripen, cook," were combined to form the adjective praecoc-, praecox, which meant "ripening early or before its time." The Latin word was first used to describe certain plants and fruits. In time it also came to refer to other things that mature before their usual time.

Medical Definition

precocious

adjective

pre·​co·​cious pri-ˈkō-shəs 

1

: exceptionally early in development or occurrence

precocious puberty

2

: exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age

precociously adverb

precociousness noun