-shəs adjective
Etymology: Latin praecoc-, praecox early ripening, premature, precocious (from prae- + -coc-, -cox, from coquere to cook, ripen) + English -ious — more at cook
: exceptionally early in development:
a. : flowering, fruiting, or developing before the usual time : early or prematurely ripe or developed — used of a plant or its organs
b. : manifesting at an early age some of the mental or physical characteristics usually associated with maturity
a precocious child
a precocious genius
c. : characterizing, done, or made by a precocious individual
a precocious achievement
at the precocious age of 25 he had written a masterpiece
d. : appropriate to a period later than that of actual occurrence
a precocious culture
a precocious heat wave
• pre·co·cious·ly adverb
• pre·co·cious·ness noun -es