precious

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++pre·cious1 /ˈpreʃəs/ ●●○ adjective  1  EMOTIONALsomething that is precious is valuable and important and should not be wasted or used without care 宝贵的precious seconds/minutes/hours/time We cannot afford to waste precious time. 我们浪费不起宝贵的时间。 planes delivering precious supplies of medicine and food 运送药品、食品等宝贵物资的飞机 our planet’s precious resources 我们星球上的宝贵资源2  VALUErare and worth a lot of money 珍稀的；贵重的precious gem/stone/jewel a statue covered with precious jewels 嵌满贵重宝石的雕塑 →5 see picture at 见图 stone3  IMPORTANTprecious memories or possessions are important to you because they remind you of people you like or events in your life 〔记忆或拥有物〕珍贵的，宝贵的precious to The doll is cracked and worn, but it’s precious to me because it was my mother’s. 这个娃娃又破又旧，可对我来说很宝贵，因为它是我妈妈用过的。► see thesaurus at valuable4  [only before noun] spokenANNOY used to show that you are annoyed that someone seems to care too much about something 宝贝似的〔用于对某人似乎太过注重某事物表示反感〕 I never touched your precious car! 我根本没碰过你的宝贝汽车！5  spoken used to speak to someone you love, especially a baby or small child 宝贝〔对所爱之人，尤指对婴儿或小孩的称呼〕 Come sit by me, precious. 坐到我旁边来，宝贝。6  American English spoken used in order to describe someone or something that is small and pretty 可爱的 SYN cute The kids gave me that ornament. Isn’t it precious? 那件装饰品是孩子们送我的，是不是很可爱？7  NATURAL formal too concerned about style or detail in your writing or speech, so that it does not seem natural 〔言辞〕矫揉造作的 His early work is rather precious and juvenile. 他的早期作品相当做作而且幼稚。 —preciously adverb —preciousness noun [uncountable]n COLLOCATIONSnounstimeMy time is precious, and I don't want to waste it.seconds/moments/minutes/hoursWe knew we only had a few more precious hours together.resourcesThe government has squandered the country’s precious resources.commodityWater is a precious commodity.assetThe organization’s most precious asset is its staff.giftHer illness made her appreciate more the precious gift of life.

Examples from the Corpus

precious• Make sure you keep a careful eye on it - it's a gem and just as precious!• Back at the granary he persuaded the farm-worker to exchange it for the precious antique.• Hello, precious, are you having fun?• You could help us out, in fact, if Maria doesn't mind handing her precious camera over.• But she was not about to reveal such precious dreams to him.• The novel may be too precious for some, but it's good summer reading.• She felt a stab of resentment for the Church's claims on her precious holiday.• What a precious little baby girl!• The robe was encrusted with precious metals and stones.• That bear is Ellie's most precious possession.• But twice a year, at the church, the group sells rosaries made with precious stones to raise funds.• For this reason temples and cathedrals frequently maintained artificers schooled in the use of precious substances.• Apparently I'd ruined her precious towel.• Antelope herds in the Rocky Mountains have lost precious winter pasture.precious resources• They began to suspect that time would be one of their most precious resources.• Smart governments know that by allowing trade, nations gently coerce their citizens to shift precious resources from low-productivity to high-productivity industries.• On this basis, precious resources have been allocated to mass literacy campaigns all over the Third World.precious gem/stone/jewel• A whole roomful of precious stones.• Dry camel droppings tied in bits of plastic bag were gold and precious gems.• He showed her the fruits he had gathered in the garden, and they had turned to precious stones.• The dome was entire gold, standing upon three hundred pillars of precious stones.• Her designs are classical and very delicate, mainly in 18-carat gold jewellery and set with precious stones and pearls.• Metaphorical bloodstains drench these precious stones, however, which makes a visit to the exhibition both eerie and wearisome.• By comparison with gold, jade or precious stones pearls are much less durable.• On many important icons, precious gems relating to the colour and function of each chakra are used instead of metal.precious to• These schools are too precious to the community to close them.precious2 adverb informal  precious little/few informal LITTLE/NOT MUCHvery little or very few 非常少 I had precious little time for reading. 我很少有时间看书。

Examples from the Corpus

precious• When the doors were opened tothe public, precious few came.• From which it follows that many will choose precious little attachment.• The rest of us have precious little influence over the global economy, though our lives are deeply affected by it.• The other difficulty is I have precious little instinct for business ventures.• While the photographs are excellent and plentiful. there is precious little video.• Food shopping takes time, a commodity of which most of us have precious little.Origin precious1 (1200-1300) Old French precios, from Latin pretiosus, from pretium; → PRICE1

pre·cious1 adjective →n COLLOCATIONS1precious2 adverbLDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable  

important precious valuable is and that Corpus is something

precious

I

pre‧cious¹ /ˈpreʃəs/ adjective1. something that is precious is valuable and important and should not be wasted or used without care
    precious seconds/minutes/hours/time
    We cannot afford to waste precious time.
    planes delivering precious supplies of medicine and food
    our planet’s precious resources
2. rare and worth a lot of money
    precious gem/stone/jewel
    a statue covered with precious jewels
3. precious memories or possessions are important to you because they remind you of people you like or events in your life
    precious to
    The doll is cracked and worn, but it’s precious to me because it was my mother’s.
4. [only before noun] spoken used to show that you are annoyed that someone seems to care too much about something:
    I never touched your precious car!
5. spoken used to speak to someone you love, especially a baby or small child:
    Come sit by me, precious.
6. American English spoken used in order to describe someone or something that is small and pretty
   SYN  cute:
    The kids gave me that ornament. Isn’t it precious?
7. formal too concerned about style or detail in your writing or speech, so that it does not seem natural:
    His early work is rather precious and juvenile.
—preciously adverb
—preciousness noun [uncountable]
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ nouns
   ▪ time My time is precious, and I don't want to waste it.
   ▪ seconds/moments/minutes/hours We knew we only had a few more precious hours together.
   ▪ resources The government has squandered the country’s precious resources.
   ▪ commodity Water is a precious commodity.
   ▪ asset The organization’s most precious asset is its staff.
   ▪ gift Her illness made her appreciate more the precious gift of life.
     

THESAURUS

■ very special and important
   ▪ precious very special and important to someone - used about people or things: My family have always been precious to me. | His free time was very precious to him. | the place where I kept my most precious things
   ▪ prized very special and important to someone, so that they want very much to keep them or obtain them: The book was one of his most prized possessions. | The shells are prized for their beauty (=are considered to be very special).
   ▪ treasured very special and important to someone, especially because it is connected with someone they love: the case in which she kept her most treasured possessions | The holiday was now a treasured memory. | a treasured gift from her grandmother
   ▪ irreplaceable extremely special and important, especially because it is the only one of its kind: The manuscripts are said to be irreplaceable.

II

precious² adverb informal
precious little/few very little or very few:
    I had precious little time for reading.