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May 1, 2020
This week’s theme
Words to describe people

This week’s words
ambivert
hapless
superbious
hoary
precocious

This week’s comments
AWADmail 931

Next week’s theme
Words related to the hand
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

precocious

PRONUNCIATION:
(pri-KOH-shuhs)

MEANING:
adjective: Exhibiting advanced development at an early age.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin praecox (premature, early ripening), from praecoquere (to ripen early), from prae- (pre) + coquere (to cook or ripen). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pekw- (to cook or ripen), which is also the source of cook, cuisine, kitchen, kiln, biscuit, apricot (an early-ripening peach, literally speaking), pumpkin, and Hindi pakka (ripened, cooked). Earliest documented use: 1650.

USAGE:
“In 1971 a precocious German academic -- at 32 years old, the holder of five degrees in engineering and economics -- hosted a conference.”
A Tour of the Magic Mountain; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 18, 2020.

See more usage examples of precocious in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. -Joseph Addison, writer (1 May 1672-1719)

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