precise 
what is clear. Veitch, Introd. to Descartes's Method, p. Iv. 
3. Being just what it purports or is alleged to 
be, and not something else; particular. 
Abs. Well, sir, and what did yon say? 
Fag. O, 1 lied, sir I forget the precise He ; hut you 
may depend on 't he got no truth from me. 
SAeridan, The Rivals, ii. 1. 
4. Containing or committing no error: as, a 
jin-i-inc measurement; measuring or reckoning 
with extreme exactness, so as to reduce the er- 
rors in an unusual degree : as, a precise instru- 
ment or operator. 5. Exact in conduct or re- 
quirements; strict; punctilious; express; for- 
mal; over-exact or over-scrupulous ; prim; pre- 
cisian ; also, conformed to over-scrupulous re- 
quirements. 
He waa ever precise In promise-keeping. 
Shak., M. for M., I. 2. 76. 
The Venetians are extraordinarily precise herein, inso- 
much that a man cannot be rcceiued into Venice without 
a bill of health. Coryat, Crudities, I. 74. 
I think the purest and precitest reformers ... of reli- 
gion can hardly order this matter better than God hath 
done. Rev. T. Adams, Works, II. 301. 
They would tell me I was too precise, and that I denied 
myself of things, for their sakes, in which they saw no 
evil. Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, p. 122. 
Grave without dulness, learned without pride ; 
Exact, yet not precise; though meek, keen-ey'd. 
Coicper, Conversation, 1. CIO. 
The extravagance of the Independent preachers In the 
camp, the precise garb, the severe countenance, the petty 
scruples, the affected accent, . . . which marked the Pu- 
ritans. Macaulay, Hist. Eng. 
6t. Specifically, Puritan; puritanical. 
A sort of sober, scurvy, precise ncightaurs, 
That scarce have smiled twice since the king came in. 
H. Jonson, Alchemist, i. 1. 
My fine precise artisan, that shuns a tavern as the devil 
doth a cross, is as often drunk as the rankest. Ills lan- 
guage doth not savour of the pot ; he swears not, but "in- 
deed ! " But trust him, and he will cozen you to your face. 
Rev. T. Adams, Works, II. 445. 
7. In logic, containing nothing superfluous. 
The definition should be precise .- that is, contain nothing 
unessential, nothing superfluous. 
Sir W. Hamilton, Logic, xxlv. 
= Syn. 1. Accurate, Correct, Exact, etc. (see accurate), dis- 
tinct, express. 5. Stiff, ceremonious, 
preciset (pro-sis'), rtrfv. [< precise, a.] Precise- 
ly; exactly'. 
Sum follow so precysc 
A learned man that oftentymcs 
They imitate hisvyce. 
Drant, tr. of Horace's Epistles to Maecenas. 
precisely (pre-sis'li), adv. [< ME. "prrcMy, 
percyxly; < precise + -fy 2 .] 1. In a precise or 
exact manner; accurately; definitely; exact- 
ly; just. 
We declare, that is to weten, that all and enery Alder- 
man of y forsayd cite euery yere for euermors In y" feste 
of Saynt Gregory y" Pope, from y office of oldyrmanry 
vtterly and percyrty to cesscn and therof holych to be re- 
meuyd. Charter of London, in Arnold's Chron., p. 87. 
Many cases happen, in which a man cannot precisely de- 
termine where it is that his lawful liberty ends, and where 
it is that it begins to be extravagant and excessive. 
SAarp, Works, I. vll. 
It Is precisely these impulses and emotions which are so 
hard to control that give dignity and worth to life. 
J. R. Seeley, Nat. Religion, p. 141. 
2. With strict conformity to rule ; punctilious- 
ly; nicely; with over-scrupulous exactness in 
ceremony or behavior. 
Some craven scruple 
Of thinking too precisely on the event, 
Shot., Hamlet, Iv. 4. 41. 
preciseness (pre-sis'nes), n. The character of 
being precise; exactness; precision; particu- 
larity; punctiliousness; scrupulousness; prim- 
ness; squeamishness. 
But they thinke this precisenes in reformation of ap- 
parell not to be so material!, or greatly pertinent. 
Spenser, State of Ireland. 
Is all your strict preciseness come to this? 
SAo*., 1 Hen. VI., T. 4. 67. 
Among their prrciseness was a qualm at baptism ; the 
water was to be taken from a basin, and not from a fount. 
Disraeli, Quarrels of Authors, p. 362, note. 
depreciatingly with reference to the English 
Puritans of the seventeenth century. 
Byrulgar 
precocious 
HelThoreau) seeks, at all risks, for perversity of thought, 
and revives the age of concetti while he fancies himself 
going back to a predastical nature. 
' 
Time* 1 WhMe (E. E. T. s.), p. in. preclltellian (pre-kli-teri-an), a. [< L. prte, 
world) IlkeourPneinaiu be, before, + NL. clitellum, q. V.] Having the din-Is 
Thaw men (for all the world) Ilk 
Who for some Cross or Saint they In the window see 
Will pluck down all the Church. 
Draytan, Polyolblon, vl. 301. 
of the testes opening before and not behind or 
in the clitellum, as certain earthworms. Com- 
pare pHstcliteltiuii. 
Married he was, and to as bitter a precisian as ever eat nrfiolnacjil fnrn klo i'kan n r< T nra> lu.fnro 
flesh in Lent, Scott, Keniiworth, ii. precipacai (pre-Kio-a Knij, a. i\ LJ. pra, , before, 
He is no precisian In attire. ^. * ; *<> f ("", H Of or pertaining 
R. L. Stevenson, Inland Voyage, Epil. to the frout of the cloaca; situated m the fore 
precisianism (pre-sizh'an-izm), ^precisian Sft^SuSSSS** 1 "" 1 cartllase.precloa- 
4- -,*.] The quality or state of being a pre- preclude (pre-kliid'), v. t. ; pret. and pp. pre- 
cisian ; the doctnne or conduct of precisians. t ./u<fcr/, , )pr . precluding. l=OF. preclure = It. 
precludere, < L. priecludere, shut up or off, < 
)?, before, 4- cludere, shut, close: see close' 1 . 
Cf . conclude, exclude, include, etc.] If. To close ; 
stop up ; shut ; prevent access to. 
nature. 
R. Jonson, Case is Altered, II. 3. 
precisianist (pre-sizh'an-ist), . [< precisian 
+ -ist.] One who adheres strictly to any doc- 
trine, practice, or rule of conduct; a precisian. 
Of course there are yet some prccisianuts that will not 
have it so; but the school is practically dead and burled. 
.V. and Q., 6th ser., XI. 362. 
precision (pre-sizh'on), n. [= P. precision = 
Sp. precision = Pg.'precisSo = It. precisione, < 
L. prxcmo(n-), a cutting off, a cut, ML. preci- 
sion, < prsecidere, pp. pnecisits, cut off: see pre- 
cise."] 1. The quality or state of being precise, 
exact, or definite as to form or meaning; dis- 
tinctness; accuracy. 
What Lord Bacon blames In the schoolmen of his time 
is this, that they reasoned sylloglstlcally on words which 
had not been denned with precision. 
Macaulay, Utilitarian Theory of Government. 
We deprive ourselves of that remarkable and almost 
mysterious precision which Is given to words when they 
are habitually used in discussions which are to issue di- 
rectly in acts. Maine, Village Communities, p. 34S. 
2. In logic : (a) Freedom from inessential ele- 
ments. 
Preclude your ears not against humble and honest ]>e- 
Utioners. 
Waterhouse, ApoL for Learning, p. 187. (Latham) 
2. To shut out; hinder by excluding; prevent; 
impede. 
Though the deslrcsof his mind be granted, yet thlspre- 
cludes not the access of new desires to his mind. 
Rev. T. Adams, Works, II. 143. 
To preclude the ambassadors of the neutral from egress 
and Ingress Into enemy's territory Is unfriendly, although 
the enemy's envoys to the neutral may be seized except 
on neutral soil or ships. 
Woolsey, Introd. to Inter. Law, 1 164. 
3. To prevent by anticipative action; render in- 
effectual or unsuccessful ; hinder the action of. 
Shall I preclude my future by taking a high scat, and 
kindly adapting my conversation to the shape of heads? 
Kmernon, Experience. 
Smllle spoke against a system of precipitancy which 
would preclude deliberation on questions of the highest 
consequence. Bancroft, Hist. Const., II. 245. 
Syn. To prevent, bar, debar, prohibit. 
In the extensive quantity of distinctness absence of preclusion (pre-klii ' zhon), H. [< L. prerrlll- 
cisinn In assuming into the declaration qualities sucfi as 
do not determlnately designate what is defined. It Is St. Augustine's preclusion of all star-predictions 
Sir W. Hamilton, Logic, xxiv. out of this place. Rev. T. Adams, Works, I. 9. 
(6) The separation from anything of extrinsic preclusive (pre-klo'siv), a. [< L. prtecluxus, 
elements. [In this sense, probably Introduced Into PP- of priecbukre, shut up or off (see preclude), 
Latin by Scotus. precision appears to be the abstract noun + -fee.] Tending to preclude; shutting out; 
snTpSr M -^ "* Preventive : generally followed by of. 
Instrument of precision, an Instrument suited for ETer y a 9 l ' of ''ranee] bespoke an intention predutivc af 
measurement of the highest degree of refinement and accommodation. 
precision, as a circle for measuring angles to a second of Burlce, Parliamentary Register, xxxiv. 482. 
an arc, or a comparator for measuring lengths to a micron, preclusively (pre-klo'siv-li), adv. In a preclu- 
-Mental precision, separation in the mind.-Nega- 8 j vo miinner- nroventiv-plv 
tive precision, the representation of one without the ' 
representation of the other. Positive precision the preCOCet (pre-kos'), a. [In lit. sense, ME. pre- 
Same as precis/anise. 
Were a logical precisionist speaking, and speaking calmly 
and of aforethought, this would be of force. 
If. and Q., 7th ser., VTO. 162. 
precisionize (pre-sizh'on-iz), v. t.; pret. and 
pp. precisionizcd, ppr. precisionizing. [< preci- 
sion + -i:e.~\ To render precise; give precision 
to ; state with precision or accuracy. 
What a pity the same man does not . . . precisionize 
other questions of political morals! 
Sir Q. C. Lewis, Letters (1847X p. 143. (Danes.) 
precisive (pre-si'siv),^. [= 
precise + -ire.] 1. 
eradicative. 
ripen beforehand, ripen fully, also boil before- 
hand, < prte, before, + coquere, cook, boil: see 
cook 1 . Cf. apricoclc, apricot, from the same 
ult. source.] 1. Early ripe. [Rare.] 
In places passyng colde it Is moost sure 
Precox (figs) to plannte, her frnyte thai soone enhance 
Er shoures come. 
Palladia*, Husbondrie (E. E. T. 8.X p. 124. 
2. Precocious. 
An InU-llectus unlversalls, beyond all that we reade of 
Plcus Mlrandula, and other precoce wltts, and yet withall 
a very humble child. Evelyn, Diary, July 6, 1679. 
As to this extraordinary prcconentm, the like Is reported 
of a certain walnut-tree, as well as of the famous white- 
thorn of Glastonbury. Erelyn, Sylva, 
apart which cannot really exist apart, as when we consider 
mode without considering Its substance and subject. 
Watts, Logic, I. vt { 9. 
nrec zh'an) f. F are P reclare *. Preclairt (pre-klar'), a. [= Sp. Pg. 
P ""^ 8 ( j"-e^e +" -L"] I. a. iTftrfSw It "- pre & r ' <l> r * e ! ar >">> J** W>t or clear, 
punctiliously or ostentatiously observant of 
rules or doctrines. 2. Characteristic of pre- 
cisians; puritanical. 
If a man be a Ilerod within and a John without, a wicked 
politician in a rurt of prrcinnn set, God can distinguish 
him. /{IT. T. Adams, Works, II. 46S. 
II. H. One who adheres punctiliously to ccr- preclassical (pre-klas'i-kal), a. [< }in- + i-lnx- 
tain rules or observances; especially, one who 
is precise in matters of religion: often used 
At other times our church moderates her censure, . . . 
using a medicinal censure before a precisice ; a less to 
prevent a greater excommunication. 
f. Putter, Moderation of church of Eng., p. aw. precocial, praecocial (pre-ko'shial), a. [< 1'ree- 
2. Pertaining to or resulting from the mental coce ? + -''] Of or pertaining to the I'rxcoces; 
precision of one object from another Precisive having the characters of the Prxcoces: opposed 
abstraction. See the quotation, and abstraction. to altricial. 
Precisice abstraction is when we consider those things precocious (pre-ko 'shus), a. [As precoce + 
-KWS.] 1. Ripe before the natural time. 
Many precocious trees, and such as have their spring In 
the winter, may be found in most parts of Europe. 
Sir T. Brmcne, Vulg. Err., II. 6. 
2. Ripe in understanding at an early ] 
prematurely developed ; forward : as, a f . 
cious child; precocious faculties. 3. Indica- 
tive of precocity; characteristic of early ma- 
turity; anticipative of greater age; premature. 
Tis superfluous to live unto gray hairs when In a pre- 
cocimis temper we anticipate the virtues of them. 
Sir T. Bromie, To a Friend. 
In the Italian States, as in many natural bodies, un- 
ity of precocious tnatii- 
\l,,.:,;l,,:,. Ma.-lli.lVl-Mi. 
s, shining, brilliant: see clear. __ 
renowned. 
Consider weill thow bene bot ofnelar, 
And vassal to that King incomparabill, 
Preis thow to pleis that puissant prince preclair. 
Sir D. LyntMu, Works (1592X p. 194. (Jamieian.) 
rirafi.] Existing or occurring before classical tiTm-iv",'i 
times; prior to the classical. MJ. 
