transcription, транскрипция: [ preʃəs ]
1.
If you say that something such as a resource is precious , you mean that it is valuable and should not be wasted or used badly.
After four months in foreign parts, every hour at home was precious...
Water is becoming an increasingly precious resource.
ADJ
2.
Precious objects and materials are worth a lot of money because they are rare.
...jewellery and precious objects belonging to her mother.
= valuable
ADJ
3.
If something is precious to you, you regard it as important and do not want to lose it.
Her family’s support is particularly precious to Josie...
ADJ
4.
People sometimes use precious to emphasize their dislike for things which other people think are important. ( INFORMAL )
You don’t care about anything but yourself and your precious face.
ADJ : ADJ n [ emphasis ]
5.
If you say that there is precious little of something, you are emphasizing that there is very little of it, and that it would be better if there were more. Precious few has a similar meaning.
The banks have had precious little to celebrate recently...
Precious few homebuyers will notice any reduction in their monthly repayments.
PHRASE [ emphasis ]