📖 P — The English dictionary · page 51

precaution — Everyday, meaning 1: A precaution is something you do in advance to stop something bad or dangerous from happening.↗ Example: Wear goggles as a precaution in the science lab.↗ · We took an umbrella as a precaution.↗ · Wearing a helmet is a sensible precaution when cycling.↗ · The school practises fire drills as a safety precaution.↗ · As a precaution, the beach was closed during the storm.↗ · Washing hands is a simple precaution against germs.↗ · Take all safety precautions before using the oven.↗ · He knew very well what that meant; but he had taken his precautions and was not afraid.↗

precautionary — Everyday, meaning 1: Done to stop something bad from happening, before it happens.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Done just in case, to be safe, even if the danger may not be real.↗ Example: As a precautionary measure, the school closed early because of the storm.↗ · The nurse kept him in for a precautionary check.↗ · The fire alarm sounded, and we left the building as a precautionary step.↗ · The lifeguard closed the beach as a precautionary move after a shark was seen.↗ · We packed spare batteries as a precautionary thing.↗ · Precautionary signs warned of thin ice on the pond.↗

precede — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To come or go before something in time, order or place.↗ Example: Lightning precedes thunder.↗ · In the alphabet, A precedes B.↗ · The number that precedes 100 is 99.↗ · The main show was preceded by a short film.↗ · Read the preceding paragraph again.↗ · A short silence preceded the cheers.↗ · She became united to Erebus, and their children were Aether and Hemera (Air and Daylight), evidently a simile of the poets, to indicate that darkness always precedes light.↗ · Ain precedes Ain Suph, boundlessness; and Ain Suph Aur, Boundless Light.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · Some believed that the Zero, 0 preceded the One, 1.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · It holds that chaos was not even the first thing created, but was preceded by voice, air, and speech-").↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

precedence — Everyday, meaning 1: Precedence is being more important than something else, so it comes first.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Order of precedence is the order in which people or things must go, by rank or importance.↗ Example: Safety takes precedence over speed.↗ · In 3 + 4 × 2, multiplication takes precedence, so the answer is 11.↗ · Homework takes precedence over video games.↗ · Brackets take precedence over everything else.↗ · The guests sat in order of precedence.↗ · Emergency vehicles take precedence on the road.↗ · Health takes precedence over winning.↗ · The head teacher's rule takes precedence.↗ · She's the oldest of us all, but she takes precedence of the youngest.↗

precedent — Everyday, meaning 1: An action or decision from the past that is used as an example or rule for what to do later.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law) An earlier judgement in court that judges follow in similar cases.↗ Example: If I let you stay up late, it will set a precedent.↗ · The judge followed a precedent from an earlier case.↗ · The flood was without precedent in the town's history.↗ · Her election as the first woman leader set a precedent.↗ · There is no precedent for a dog joining the school choir.↗ · Courts in England follow precedent.↗

preceding — Everyday, meaning 1: Coming just before something in time, order or position (the preceding page, the preceding year).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Going in front of or happening before something else.↗ Example: Look at the preceding page for the answer.↗ · The number preceding 100 is 99.↗ · Use your answer from the preceding question.↗ · In the preceding weeks, she practised every day.↗ · The days preceding the holiday were busy.↗ · A flash of lightning comes in the seconds preceding the thunder.↗ · The evening passed pleasantly like the one preceding.↗

precept — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) A rule or principle telling people how to behave or think.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (church, Bible) A command or teaching from God or a religious teacher.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (law, UK) An official written order.↗ Example: "Treat others as you want to be treated" is a famous precept.↗ · Christians believe the precepts of the Bible guide how to live.↗ · Buddhists follow five precepts, such as not harming living things.↗ · Our teacher taught us more by example than by precept.↗ · Honesty is the first precept of our school rules.↗ · The old book was full of wise precepts.↗ · The monks lived by strict precepts.↗ · Example is more powerful than precept.↗ · This I have had, that I have kept Thy precepts.↗ (Writings PSA.119.56, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou hast ordained Thy precepts, that we should observe them diligently.↗ (Writings PSA.119.4, JPS 1917)↗ · I am Thine, save me; for I have sought Thy precepts.↗ (Writings PSA.119.94, JPS 1917)↗

preceptor — Everyday, meaning 1: A preceptor is a teacher or tutor who looks after a young person's learning, often one who lives in the family.↗ Example: The hero thanked his preceptor for all the lessons.↗ · Chiron was the preceptor of many heroes in old stories.↗ · His preceptor taught him to ride, to fight and to read the stars.↗

precession — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) The slow turning of the axis of a spinning object, such as a spinning top or the Earth, so that the axis traces a circle.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (science) The slow change in the direction of Earth's axis, taking about 26,000 years for one circle.↗ Example: A spinning top shows precession when it wobbles.↗ · Because of precession, Polaris will not always be the North Star.↗ · Precession of the Earth's axis takes about 26,000 years.↗ · The gyroscope's precession was slow.↗ · Scientists measure precession with telescopes.↗ · Precession changes which stars we see at the pole.↗

precinct — Everyday, meaning 1: (USA) A district of a city that has its own police station; also the police station itself.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK) A shopping area where cars are not allowed (a shopping precinct).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The area around a building, often enclosed, like a cathedral precinct.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (USA) A voting district.↗ Example: The officer works at the 12th precinct.↗ · We met in the shopping precinct.↗ · The cathedral precincts were quiet.↗ · (USA) Voters went to their precinct to vote.↗ · The precinct was closed to cars.↗ · No running in the school precincts.↗ · For the Precinct westward, four at the causeway, and two at the Precinct.↗ (Writings 1CH.26.18, JPS 1917)↗

precious — Everyday, meaning 1: Precious means very valuable, worth a lot of money («precious stones», «precious metals»).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Precious means very important and loved, not to be wasted or lost («precious memories», «time is precious»).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Informally, precious can mean too fussy or delicate.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «Precious little» means very little.↗ Example: Gold and silver are precious metals.↗ · Water is precious in the desert.↗ · This old photo is precious to Grandma.↗ · Diamonds and rubies are precious stones.↗ · Don't waste precious time; start your homework.↗ · The baby is very precious to her parents.↗ · There is precious little food left in the fridge.↗ · The dragon guarded its precious treasure.↗ · Just see those precious stones lying there!↗ · And for the tops of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the everlasting hills, (Torah DEU.33.15, JPS 1917)↗ · And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, and for the precious things of the yield of the moons, (Torah DEU.33.14, JPS 1917)↗ · And of Joseph he said: Blessed of the LORD be his land; for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, (Torah DEU.33.13, JPS 1917)↗ · Dedan was thy trafficker in precious cloths for riding.↗ (Prophets EZK.27.20, JPS 1917)↗ · And the Almighty be thy treasure, and precious silver unto thee; (Writings JOB.22.25, JPS 1917)↗ · Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his precious fruits.↗ (Writings SNG.4.16, JPS 1917)↗

precipice — Everyday, meaning 1: A precipice is a very steep cliff or drop, with a sheer face going down a long way.↗ Example: The goat stood on a narrow ledge above the precipice.↗ · Never walk too close to the edge of a precipice.↗ · The donkey ran so fast that it nearly fell over the precipice.↗

precipitant — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) A substance that you add to a liquid to make a solid form and come out of it (a precipitate).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Something that causes an event to happen suddenly, a trigger: «Stress was the precipitant of the argument.».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal, rare adjective) Done too quickly, without thinking; rushed.↗ Example: The teacher added a precipitant and the clear liquid went cloudy.↗ · Salt can act as a precipitant in some experiments.↗ · The heavy rain was the precipitant of the landslide.↗ · Doctors looked for the precipitant of her asthma attack.↗ · His precipitant decision to quit surprised everyone.↗ · A precipitant makes the solid «fall out» of the solution.↗

precipitate — Everyday, meaning 1: (verb, formal) To make something bad happen suddenly or sooner than expected: «The argument precipitated a fight».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb, chemistry) For a solid to form and separate out of a liquid during a reaction; (noun) the solid that forms.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb, science) For water vapour to fall as rain, snow, sleet or hail.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (adjective, formal) Done too quickly, without thinking: «a precipitate decision».↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To precipitate yourself means to throw yourself suddenly and headlong into something.↗ Example: The rude comment precipitated a big argument.↗ · When we mixed the two liquids, a white precipitate formed.↗ · The storm precipitated a power cut.↗ · Water vapour cools and precipitates as rain.↗ · His precipitate decision to quit the team surprised everyone.↗ · The chalky solid precipitated to the bottom of the test tube.↗ · The loss of his job precipitated the family's move.↗ · With a despairing scream the pirate leapt upon Long Tom and precipitated himself into the sea.↗

precipitation — Everyday, meaning 1: Water that falls from clouds to the ground in any form: rain, snow, sleet or hail.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The amount of rain or snow that falls in a place over a time.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (chemistry) When a solid forms in a liquid and separates out.↗ Example: Rain, snow, sleet and hail are all kinds of precipitation.↗ · Precipitation is part of the water cycle.↗ · The forecast says there is a 70% chance of precipitation.↗ · Deserts get very little precipitation.↗ · We measured precipitation with a rain gauge on the school field.↗ · Clouds make precipitation when the water droplets get too heavy.↗ · The bar chart shows how much precipitation fell each month.↗

precipitous — Everyday, meaning 1: Precipitous means very steep, so that it is almost straight up or down.↗ Example: The path was precipitous and full of loose stones.↗ · They climbed the precipitous rock very slowly.↗ · A castle stood on the precipitous cliffs above the sea.↗

precise — Everyday, meaning 1: Exact and correct in every small detail.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Very careful and accurate in doing things.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Used to stress that you mean exactly this one: «at that precise moment».↗ Example: Please give a precise answer, not a guess.↗ · The recipe needs precise amounts of flour and sugar.↗ · The line is 7.4 centimetres long, to be precise.↗ · At that precise moment, the bell rang.↗ · A surgeon must be very precise.↗ · Use precise words to describe your character.↗ · The clock gives the precise time.↗ · Those were her precise words, so there can be no denying that it was she who first tempted him.↗ · The precise meanings of these subdivisions will be subsequently explored in chapters 3, 4, and 5.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗

precisely — Everyday, meaning 1: Exactly; with no mistakes or difference (at precisely nine o'clock).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Carefully and accurately (measure precisely).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Used to agree strongly: «Precisely!» means «Yes, exactly that!».↗ Example: The train leaves at precisely eight o'clock.↗ · Measure the line precisely with a ruler.↗ · «So we need more flour?»↗ «Precisely!»↗ · She cut the paper precisely in half.↗ · That's precisely what I wanted.↗ · I don't know precisely how many came, about 30.↗ · And this was precisely what did happen.↗

precision — Everyday, meaning 1: Precision means being very exact and careful, getting every small detail right.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (maths, science) Precision is how exact a measurement is, for example to the nearest millimetre rather than to the nearest metre.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: As an adjective before a noun, precision means made to be very exact (precision tools).↗ Example: She cut the paper with great precision.↗ · Measure to the nearest millimetre for more precision.↗ · Surgeons work with precision.↗ · The arrow hit the target with amazing precision.↗ · Giving π as 3.14159 shows more precision than 3.14.↗ · The watch was made with precision tools.↗ · Gymnasts need precision and balance.↗ · The specific actions of the two waters are described with great precision in this story.↗

preclude — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To prevent something from happening, or make it impossible.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) To stop someone from doing something.↗ e.g. "His injury precluded him from playing."↗ Example: Bad weather precluded the school trip.↗ · His broken arm precluded him from playing in the final.↗ · Being young does not preclude you from having good ideas.↗ · The rules preclude using a calculator in this test.↗ · "Preclude" is a formal way to say "rule out".↗ · Lack of money precluded any repairs to the hall.↗

preconception — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: An idea formed before you have looked at the facts.↗ Example: Elohim Chiim, then, apart from Jewish or Christian preconception, is " the living Gods," or '-'- the Gods of the lives, i.e., living ones."↗ Rittangelius gives Dii viventes, " The living Gods," both words in the plural.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

precondition — Everyday, meaning 1: Something that must be true or must happen before something else can happen.↗ Example: Finishing your homework is a precondition for going out to play.↗ · Oxygen is a precondition for fire.↗ · The talks began without any preconditions.↗ · A precondition for joining the team is coming to training.↗ · Trust is a precondition for friendship.↗ · Light is a precondition for photosynthesis.↗