different between precocious vs precautious

English

Etymology

From Latin praecox (“premature, precocious, ripe before time, early ripe”), from praecoquere (“to ripen beforehand, ripen fully, also boil beforehand”), from prae (“before”) + coquere (“to cook, boil, ripen”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: pr?-k?'sh?s, IPA^(key): /p???k????s/
• Rhymes: -????s

Adjective

precocious (comparative more precocious, superlative most precocious)

1. Characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity.
   • 1859, George Meredith, The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, Chapter 15:

     Now those abominations whom you call precocious boys—your little pet monsters, doctor!—and who can wonder that the world is what it is? when it is full of them—as they will have no divine time to look back upon in their own lives, how can they believe in innocence and goodness, or be other than sons of selfishness and the Devil?
2. Exhibiting advanced skills and aptitudes at an abnormally early age.

Synonyms

• tranty

Antonyms

• altricious
• serotinous

Derived terms

• precociously
• precociousness

Related terms

• precocity

Translations

See also

• prodigy
• apricot

Further reading

• precocious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• precocious in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• precocious at OneLook Dictionary Search

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -????s

Adjective

precautious (comparative more precautious, superlative most precautious)

1. Taking precautions.