# precious

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈpɹɛʃ.əs/ · frequency rank #4,104

## Definitions
1. Of high value or worth.
2. Regarded with love or tenderness.
3. Treated with too much reverence.
4. Excessively complicated.
5. Extremely protective or strict (about something).
6. Blasted; damned.
7. Contrived to be cute or charming.
8. Thorough; utter.

## Etymology
From Middle English precious, borrowed from Old French precios (“valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also affected, finical”), from Latin pretiōsus (“of great value, costly, dear, precious”), from pretium (“value, price”); see price.

## Easily confused with
- **previous** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/precious-vs-previous)
- **precocious** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/precious-vs-precocious)
- **precarious** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/precarious-vs-precious)

## Common misspellings (11)
`percious`, `pprecious`, `prceious`, `preccious`, `preciosu`, `preciouss`, `preciuos`, `precoius`, `preicous`, `prrecious`, `rpecious`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/precious