preciosity
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Preciosity — Pre ci*os i*ty, n.; pl. { ties}. [F. pr[ e]ciosit[ e], OF. also precieuset[ e].] Fastidious refinement, esp. in language; specif., the affected purism and sententiousness characteristic of the French pr[ e]cieuses of the 17th century. He had the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
preciosity — preciosity, preciousness Preciosity is now virtually restricted to the meaning ‘over refinement in art or language, especially in the choice of words’, leaving preciousness as the noun corresponding to the general meanings of precious … Modern English usage
Preciosity — Pre ci*os i*ty, n. Preciousness; something precious. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
preciosity — [presh΄ē äs′ə tē, pres΄ēäs′ə tē] n. pl. preciosities [ME preciousite < MFr preciosité < L pretiositas < pretiosus: see PRECIOUS] great fastidiousness, overrefinement, or affectation, esp. in language … English World dictionary
preciosity — noun (plural ties) Date: 1866 1. fastidious refinement 2. an instance of preciosity … New Collegiate Dictionary
preciosity — /presh ee os i tee/, n., pl. preciosities. fastidious or carefully affected refinement, as in language, style, or taste. [1350 1400; ME preciousite < MF preciosite < L pretiositas. See PRECIOUS, ITY] * * * ▪ literature French Préciosité, … … Universalium
preciosity — noun A state or condition of overemphasizing detail, especially of pronunciation when speaking. Syn: fastidiousness See Also: precise, precision … Wiktionary
preciosity — Synonyms and related words: Gongorism, affectation, affectedness, artfulness, artifice, artificiality, ceremonialism, elegance, euphemism, euphuism, exquisiteness, formalism, formality, goody goodness, goody goodyism, hyperelegance, legalism,… … Moby Thesaurus
preciosity — pre|ci|os|i|ty [ ,preʃi asəti ] noun uncount MAINLY LITERARY too much emphasis on style or detail in language or writing … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
preciosity — pre·ci·os·i·ty || ‚preʃɪ É‘sÉ™tɪ / É’s n. meticulousness, stringency; affectedness, overrefinement; excessive fastidiousness, extreme fussiness … English contemporary dictionary
