4677 
5f. Particular; scrupulous; fastidious; over- 
nice. 
In swlch estaat as God hath cleped us. 
I wol pcrsever. I nam nat 
Chaucer, Prol. to Wife of Bath's Tale, 1. 148. 
Precious blood, the blood shed by Christ on the cross : 
precinct 
I like the silent church, before the service begins bet- 
ter than any preaching. How far off, how cool, how 
chaste the persons look, begirt each one with a precinct 
or sanctuary ! Emerson, Self-reliance. 
You retain a single broad Image of the vast gray edifice 
[a cathedral], with its towers, its tone of color, and its still 
green precinct. H. James, Jr., Trans. Sketches, p. S5.' 
3. A district within certain boundaries and 
under certain jurisdiction ; a minor territorial 
or jurisdictional division: as, a police precinct; . ? -- . ~v.. 
in several of the United States, the principal S^ "<'''" l also sometinies included with the pre- 
subdivision of the county, couponing gS r^ to 3E^^^^3S 
erally to the township in other States. These 
subdivisions In .Nebraska and Oregon are called precinct*. 
In California, Colorado, Fjorida, Illinois, Mississippi, and 
Precious Blood on the nrst Sunday In July. Precious 
metals, gold and silver : so called on account of their 
Nevada they are called election precincts. The counties 
of Texas are each divided into four commissioners' pre- 
cinct*, also Into from four to eight justices' precincts, and 
into from four to eleven election precinct*. Some of the 
counties of Kentucky are divided into voting precinct*. 
In colonial Massachusetts a precinct was a part set off 
from a town and made independent of it In respect to 
some matters of local administration, but not in respect 
to choosing a representative to the General Court. 
As easily may you get the soldan's crown 
As any prizes out of my precinct. 
Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great, I., 1. 2. 
I am the king's vicegerent by my place ; 
His right lieutenant in mine own precinct. 
Beau, and Fl., Love's Cure, III. 1. 
The extent of the old Hans was from Nerve in Livonia 
to the Rhine, and contained 62 great mercantile Towns 
which were divided into four Precinct*. 
Hoicell, Utters, I. vl. :i. 
4. A region; a tract. [A loose use.] 
Thevessel, . . . now slowly pushed by the wind against 
the turbid current, now warping along the fngrant prr. 
cinct* of orange or magnolia groves or fields of sugar- 
cane ... G. W. Cable, The liramlissimes, p. 13. 
precinction (pre-singk'shon), H. [< L. prie 
iage. Mercury also has been by some called 
one of the precious metals. In general, precious means 
valuable enough to be used as a standard of value and 
abundant enough for coinage. Only gold and silver 
have these requisites. Precious stone, a stone distin- 
guished for IU beauty and rarity, and prized for use In 
ornamentation, especially In jewelry ; a gem ; a jewel. 
Beauty of color, hardness, and rarity are the essential 
qualities which entitle a mineral to he called precious, 
strictly speaking, the only precious stone* are the diamond, 
ruby, sapphire, and emerald, though the term Is often 
extended to the opal, notwithstanding Its lack of hard- 
ness, and to the pearl, which is not a mineral, but strictly 
an animal product. 
Oeo. F. Kunz, Gems and Precious Stones of North America, 
[p. 310. 
To be precious Of, to prize; value highly. Compare 
choice of, under choice, 3. (Local, New Eng.J 
We set everything by that little bird, Bartholomew ! . . . 
Ho understands now that we're precious of it. 
Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney, The Other Oirls, vIL 
= Syn. 1 and 2. Costly, etc. See m/imW.-. 
precipitate 
2. A bank or cliff extremely steep, or even 
perpendicular or overhanging; a headlong de- 
clivity. 
The sulphurous hall 
Shot after us In storm, o'erblown, hath laid 
The fiery surge, that from the precipice 
Of heaven received us falling. Millim, P. L., I. 173. 
3. The brink of a steep declivity; hence, a 
dangerous place ; a critical position; a perilous 
location. 
My fortunes standing In this precipice, 
Til counsel that I want, and honest aids. 
Ii. Jonson, Devil la an Ass, Iv. 3. 
But surely It cannot be safe for any man still to walk 
upon a precipice, to stand upon an Indivisible point, and 
to be always upon the very Ixirder of destruction. 
South, Sermons, VI. xL 
They arc at present In a frenzy, and will not lie recov- 
ered from It till they shall have leaped the precipice they 
are now so boldly advancing to. 
Je/erton, Correspondence, IL 4. 
precipient (pre-sip'i-ent), a. [< L. prtecipi- 
cn(t-)x, ppr. of' prtecipere, admonish, instruct: 
see precept.] Commanding; directing. 
precipitabiUty (pre-sip'i-ta-bil'i-ti), n. [< pre- 
cipitable + -ily (see -bility).] The quality or 
state of being precipitable. 
precipitable (pre-sip'i-ta-bl), . [< precipit-ate 
+ -able.] Capable of 'Wing precipitated or 
thrown down, as a substance in solution. 
ojrii. A BUU 4. UVHW, eit.. oee ruiimtn> . . .. . .. r _ . . 
precious(prcsh'ns),fl,/r. \_< precious, a.] Very; Precipitance (pre-sip .-tans). H. [= It. precipt- 
. _ i fj-t , . -i J * ' I/I It "~/t . < I . 1 1 >!, I III tttli fil-l T U Illtur Ii<tuil1s\nr t 
. , 
exceedingly ; extremely. [Colloq.] 
For I had brought Lizzie something dear, and a precious 
heavy Ixiok it was. K. l>. Blaclnnore, Lorna Doone, xxvll. 
Precious glad he Is to be rid of us girls, I know. 
Uarprr's Slag., LXXVI. 294. 
= Pg. preciotridMlc = It. preziofiita, < L. preti- 
osita(t-)s, costliness, ML. also a costly thing. < 
pretiosuK, valuable, precious: see precious.'] If. 
Costliness ; value ; great worth ; preciousnoss. 
Among y which y black" crossc of Scotlande is spe- 
cyally namyd, a relyke acuomptyd of great prrcyomjte. 
Fabyan, chron., II., an. i:i27. 
2f. Anything of great price or value. 
The Index or forefinger was too naked whereto to com- 
mit their pretiosities. Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Krr., iv. 4. 
Barbarians seem to exceed them in the curiosity of their 
application of (bate preciosities. 
Dr. II. More, Divine Dialogues. 
8. The quality of being ovemice; fastidious- 
ness; excessive refinement. Saturday Her., 
No. 1474. 
Chaticrr, Prol. to Wife of Bath s tale, 1. 600. 
Some preriiniflii by shattered porcelain fall, 
And some by aromatic splinters die. 
Dryilen, Annus Mirabllls, st 20. 
2. Valuably; in a manner productive of worth; 
to good purpose. 
The time 'twlxt six and now 
Must by us both be spent most preciously. 
Shak., Tempest, L 2. 241. 
3. Very much; exceedingly; extremely. [Col- 
loq.] 4. Fastidiously; scrupulously; with ex- 
treme care in matters of detail. 
tan;a,<. L. pra-cipitaiitia, a falling headlong, < 
prtecipitan(t-), falling headlong: see precipi- 
tant.] The quality of being precipitant; rash 
haste; headlong hurry. 
Thither they 
Hasted with glad precipitance. 
Miltnn, P. L., TU. 291. 
Rashness and precipitance of judgment. 
Walls, Logic, IL 4, | 5. 
precipitancy (pre-sip'i-tan-si), ii. [As precipi- 
tance (see -cu).] Precipitance; impatience to 
reach a conclusion or result ; overhaste in in- 
ference or action. 
When the precipitancy of a man's wishes hurries on his 
ideas ninety times faster than the vehicle he rides In 
wo be to truth ! Slerue, Tristram (Shandy, vil. 8. 
As a revising tribunal the I'pper House has continually 
counteracted the evils of precipitancy, Impatience, and 
Ill-digested legislation, to which a numerous assembly, 
representing or delegated by larger constituent bodies, 
Is necessarily and continually prone. 
Quarterly Ken., CLXII. 255. 
precious (presh'us), a. [Early mod. E. also preciousness (presh'us-nes), H. 1. The char- 
= 8yn. Rashness, temerity, hastiness. 
If, on the other hand, you fall short of this point (the precipitant (pre-sip'i-tant), a. and H. [< OF. 
limit to imitation of details], your art of painting from precipitant, F. precipitant = Sp. Pg. It. precipi- 
nature is not yetquite perfectly tnAprcciously imitative, tante, < L. prieeipitaH(t-)s, ppr. of ' urteciuitare, 
A tf.J/a.nerto,,, Thought, about Art, II. cast down headlong : see precipitate.] t. a. 1. 
pretious; < MK. precious, preci/iiux, preciii.--. < 
OF.precios, precieux, precieux, valuable, costly, 
precious, beloved, also affected, finical, F. pre- 
cieux= Sp. Pg. precioso = It. pre:ioxo,<. li.prr- 
tiosus, of great value, costly, dear, precious, < 
pretium, value, price : see price.] 1. Of great 
price; costly; having a high money -value. 
Sweet are the uses of adversity, 
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, 
Wears yet a precious jewel In his head. 
Shale., As you Like it, ii. 1. 14. 
To leave a little snuffe 
Is petty treason, and such pretious stulfe 
Must not be throwne away. 
Times' Whistle (E. E. T. S.), p. 60. 
A gold-adorned pillared tern pie round, 
Whose walls were hung with rich and precious things, 
Worthy to be the ransom of great kings. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, I. 258. 
2. Of great worth ; held in high esteem ; in- 
trinsically valuable. 
But she stode som what bynethe, byfore her dere sone, 
face to face, at the tyme of his precyfnts dethe. 
Sir R. Guylforde, Pylgrymage, p. 27. 
Health is precious because sickness doth breed that pain 
which disableth action. Hooter, Eccles. Polity, v. 76. 
By thy precious Death and Burial ; . . . 
Good l.ont. deliver us. 
Book of Common Prayer, Litany. 
O. what a precious book the one would be 
That taught observers what they're not to see ! 
0. H'. Holmes, A Rhymed Lesson. 
3. Worthless; good-for-nothing. [Ironical.] 
Your worship is a precious ass ! B. Jonson, Volpone, L 1. 
Oh, you're a precious man ! two days in town, 
And never see your old friend ! 
Fletcher, Mad Lover, lit 3. 
Sir Oliver 5. Well, Sir Peter, I have seen both my 
nephews in the manner we proposed. 
Sir Peter T. A precious couple they are ! 
Sheridan, School for Scandal, T. :.'. 
4. Considerable; great. [Colloq.] 
It 's hard enough to see one's way, a precious sight harder 
than I thought last night. 
T. Huyhes, Tom Brown at Rugby, ii. 7. 
294 
acter of being precious; valuableness; worth; 
costliness. 2. Anything of great price or 
value; a valuable article, object, or part of 
a thing. 
The enemies of the Lord shall he as the fat of lambs 
[marginal note: the preciousness of lambs]. Ps. xxxvii. 20. 
3. Fastidiousness; excessive refinement; scru- 
pulous attention to detail, particularly in art. 
As on the one hand their works have none of the majesty 
of imagination, so on the other they hick the preciougness 
of genuine imitation. 
P. a. Hamerton, Thoughts about Art, IL 
precipe, praecipe (pres'i-pe), . [< ME. pre- 
cipe, prexipe, prexepe, pricipe; < L. preecipe, im- 
perative of preeciprre, take or seize beforehand, 
admonish: see precept.] 1. In law: (a) A writ, 
commanding something to be done, or requir- 
ing a reason for neglecting it. 
For a wrytte called Pricipe. A wrytte which Is called 
p'cipe from hensforth shall not be made to any man of 
ani freeholde wherthurgh a free man lese his conrte. 
Arnold's Citron. (15O2X ed. 1811, p. 219. 
(6) A note of instructions delivered by a plain- 
tiff or his solicitor to the officer of the court to 
procure a writ of summons. 2f. A precept ; an 
order. 
dense wele our eghne, and standia on bakke, 
For here es comene a presepe, swykke menne to take. 
MS. Lincoln A. I. 17, f. 148. (HoZKweC.) 
precipice (pres'i-pis), n. [< OP. precipice, F. 
precipice = Sp. Pg. precipicio = It. precipi:in, 
a precipice, < L. praecipitium, a falling down 
headlong, an abrupt descent, a steep place, < 
prsecepK(pnecipit-), head foremost, headlong, < 
prif, before, + caput, head: see capital^. Cf. 
Falling headlong; headlong. 
From pole to pole 
He views In breadth ; and, without longer pause, 
Downright into the world's first region throws 
His flight precipitant. Milton, P. L., 11L 588. 
Take care 
Thy muddy beverage to serene, and drive 
Precipitant the baser, ropy lees. 
J. Philips, Cider, IL 
2. Rushing hastily onward. 
But soon recovering speed he ran, he flew 
Precipitant. Adduon, .Km i.l, UL 
3. Rashly hasty; precipitate; characterized 
by rapid movement or progress ; impatient to 
reach a conclusion. 
There may be some such decays as are precipitant u to 
years. 
Jer. Taylor f!), Artlf. Handsomeness, p. 73. (Latham.) 
The stormy bluster of men more audacious and precipi- 
tant then of solid and deep reach. 
Milton, Reformation In F.ng., IL 
These lit* being not so ordinary is our natural! sleep, 
these dreams the precipitant and unskilful! are forward to 
conceit to be representations extraordinary and supernat- 
ural. Dr. a. More, Enthusiasm, | 27. 
II. . In client., an agent which, when added 
to a solution, separates something dissolved 
and causes it to precipitate, or fall to the bot- 
tom in a concrete state. 
precipitantly (pre-sip'i-tant-li), adv. In a pre- 
cipitant manner; precipitately; rashly; with 
ill-advised haste. 
descent. 
Men precipitantly quit their new undertakings. 
Bacon, Physical Fables, U., Expl. 
How much less will he hear when we cry hereafter, who, 
once deliver'd by him, . . . are returning precipitantly, if 
he withhold us not, back to the captivity from whence he 
freed us ! Milton, Free Commonwealth. 
It. A headlong fall; an abrupt precipitantness (pre-sip'i-tant-nes), H. The 
quality <>f being precipitant. 
precipitate (pre-sip'i-tat), r.; pret. and pp. 
preelpttatfd, ppr. pn-Hpitiilinii. [<. L. preecipi- 
Stay me in my precipice to ruin. 
Matsinoer, The Picture, iv. 4. 
His (Job's] fall is with a precipice, from a sublime pin- 
i deep puddle of penury. 
Ra. T. Adams, Works, III. 283. 
nacle of honour to a deep puddle of 'penury. tatus, pp. of prscipitare (> It. pricipitare = Sp. 
Pg. precipitar = F. prMpiter), cast do 
, cast down head- 
