ˈpreʃəs adj. & adv. --adj. 1 of
great value or
worth. 2
beloved;
much prized (precious memories). 3 affectedly
refined,
esp. in
language or
manner. 4 colloq.
often iron. a
considerable (a precious
lot you know about it). b expressing
contempt or
disdain (you can
keep your precious flowers). --adv. colloq. extremely,
very (tried precious
hard;
had precious
little left). øprecious metals
gold,
silver,
and platinum. precious
stone a
piece of
mineral having great value esp. as used in
jewellery. øøpreciously adv. preciousness n. [ME f. OF precios f. L pretiosus f. pretium price]