I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a precious possession (= one that is valuable or important to you )
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A man was salvaging a few precious possessions from the rubble of a bombed house.
a valuable/precious commodity
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Land is an extremely valuable commodity.
precious few (= hardly any )
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Mr Wingate was full of explanations, but precious few of them made sense.
precious little (= very little )
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He did precious little to help.
precious metal
precious metals (= valuable metals used especially for making jewellery )
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They traded in gold and other precious metals .
precious stone
precious/valuable time
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I’m sorry if I’m taking up your valuable time.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
too
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Gould's time was too precious and his ambition too overriding to allow him a thought for artistic temperament.
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A promise is too precious to miss.
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The chance to convert a proposal long mooted into reality was too precious to let slip.
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She was neither too casual nor too precious with them.
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This second man did not stop, drove his grey horse forward as if time was too precious to waste.
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Life is too precious and he has a lot to give and share.
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During the second world war paper had been too precious to waste on the manufacture of gift-wrap.
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The Constitution is too precious a document to be trivialized with accounting procedures.
very
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It was all she had left of four years of happiness, and it was very precious .
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Contrary to most political and economic models, parental love is generally recognized by biologists to be a very precious evolutionary asset.
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It's just necessary for me to express how very precious she was to me.
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Some one who has a lot of overt status has a great deal to do: their time and attention are very precious .
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The relationship between children and their grandparents is something very precious .
■ NOUN
asset
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The most precious asset is confidence in both horse and rider.
commodity
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Zygotes are intrinsically more difficult-yet efficiency clearly has to be much higher, for zygotes are precious commodities .
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Sugar was considered a precious commodity .
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Breath, energy and time are precious commodities for Mr McTear.
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I had, in effect, convinced her that television was a precious commodity .
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For everyone energy is limited, a precious commodity .
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Hope is the most precious commodity of all.
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Water is a precious commodity too long taken for granted in the West.
gem
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On many important icons, precious gems relating to the colour and function of each chakra are used instead of metal.
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The red velvet background of the reliquary is studded with precious gems and valuable ornaments donated by her grateful clients.
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But the most precious gem of all does not come cheap.
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Dry camel droppings tied in bits of plastic bag were gold and precious gems .
gift
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He bestowed a precious gift , Touching Mankind's soul world-wide.
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How lucky we all were to be loved by such a woman; what a precious gift she was to us all!
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After all, Tyler's son was the most precious gift of all.
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All that wonderful time is still with us: memory is a precious gift .
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University education was the precious gift they never had.
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That wonderful love they had shared and which had given her the precious gift of a son.
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It seemed to her a precious gift , far more than just an alleviation of present discomfort.
jewel
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However hopeless things were he was rejoicing because of Benedicta's words which he hugged to himself as if they were precious jewels .
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This cave is absolutely stashed With gorgeous gleaming precious jewels !
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We should tend the mind as a precious jewel box and factory that makes intangible but immortal gems.
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She shimmered and shone like a precious jewel , a princess.
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You know the power of the daydream to transform the lumber-room's contents into precious jewels .
metal
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Articles made largely or wholly of gold, silver or other precious metals .
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Some analysts argue that it should, since demand for the precious metal exceeds supplies.
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This work is consolidating Johnson Matthey's position as a world leader in precious metal refining.
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I invested in gold and precious metals and lost money there as well.
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Not all plating was of precious metal .
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Other strong groups included precious metals and oil, both groups building on recent gains.
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The Quarter can trace its roots as far back as 1460, when work in precious metals is first recorded in Birmingham.
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Fleischmann by contrast had studied hydrogen and precious metals for several years.
object
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At these moments he looks closely at each inch of her face, like a valuer frowningly examining some precious object .
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Gifts could comprise not only land, but also money and precious objects , including jewellery.
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With this extravagant behaviour, as the Encomiast says, went lavish gifts of precious objects .
possession
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As I constantly urge members - your signature is your most precious possession .
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Our people are our most precious possession ...
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That was the last photograph ever taken of Simon and it was Bert's most precious possession .
resource
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Over the next few years, we're going to have to change our attitude to this precious resource .
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People embody intelligence, by far the most precious resource in the universe and one in terribly short supply.
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On this basis, precious resources have been allocated to mass literacy campaigns all over the Third World.
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Smart governments know that by allowing trade, nations gently coerce their citizens to shift precious resources from low-productivity to high-productivity industries.
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He was used to taking his time and not seeing every instant as a precious resource .
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They began to suspect that time would be one of their most precious resources .
stone
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Metaphorical bloodstains drench these precious stones , however, which makes a visit to the exhibition both eerie and wearisome.
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The dazzling inlay of precious stones was long ago picked out with daggers.
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He showed her the fruits he had gathered in the garden, and they had turned to precious stones .
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A whole roomful of precious stones .
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But twice a year, at the church, the group sells rosaries made with precious stones to raise funds.
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Before him lay precious stones of such size, variety and colour that would have made anyone who was not royal gasp.
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The dome was entire gold, standing upon three hundred pillars of precious stones .
substance
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The emergence of stratified societies culminating in states increased conspicuous consumption of precious substances .
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For this reason temples and cathedrals frequently maintained artificers schooled in the use of precious substances .
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Although the status of pearls among other precious substances varied in different parts of the world, their appeal was exceptionally widespread.
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The attitude adopted to precious substances helps to confirm the force of inertia in history.
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A nautical lapidary accordingly recommended a variety of precious substances to ward off such dangers.
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As symbols wooden thrones have traditionally attracted some of the most precious substances .
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One way of showing them respect was to enclose them in reliquaries and enrich these with precious substances .
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Again, methods for displaying precious substances were of an elementary character.
thing
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I did what I thought was right for the most precious thing in the world to me.
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On merchant ships the sailors work largely in darkness below decks because oil is a precious thing .
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These immortal ideas, things barely perceptible are the most precious things of life.
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It was a precious thing to be kept to oneself.
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And hospital beds, precious things .
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And some, and among them Rhodri Parry, had more dangerous and precious things to hide from the retreating soldiery.
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Archaeologists are as keen to discover precious things , though for different reasons, as treasure-seekers.
time
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She had lost precious time waiting for the nurse to leave.
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If we spend much time regretting, we lose precious time moving on.
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This leaf fall would continue for three or four months every year and took much precious time from other projects.
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Worst of all, they can steal precious time from an all-too-short life.
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It is up to each group to divide that precious time between colleagues.
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The Profitboss doesn't squander precious time writing and reading lengthy job descriptions.
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Don't waste precious time stating the obvious.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Antelope herds in the Rocky Mountains have lost precious winter pasture.
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Apparently I'd ruined her precious towel.
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Hello, precious , are you having fun?
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That bear is Ellie's most precious possession.
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The novel may be too precious for some, but it's good summer reading.
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The robe was encrusted with precious metals and stones.
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What a precious little baby girl!
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Back at the granary he persuaded the farm-worker to exchange it for the precious antique.
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But she was not about to reveal such precious dreams to him.
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But twice a year, at the church, the group sells rosaries made with precious stones to raise funds.
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For this reason temples and cathedrals frequently maintained artificers schooled in the use of precious substances.
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Make sure you keep a careful eye on it - it's a gem and just as precious !
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She felt a stab of resentment for the Church's claims on her precious holiday.
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You could help us out, in fact, if Maria doesn't mind handing her precious camera over.
II. adverb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
little
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The rest of us have precious little influence over the global economy, though our lives are deeply affected by it.
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The other difficulty is I have precious little instinct for business ventures.
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From which it follows that many will choose precious little attachment.
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While the photographs are excellent and plentiful. there is precious little video.
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Food shopping takes time, a commodity of which most of us have precious little .
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However, researchers have precious little time to retrieve the data.
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But of actual finished prose, there is precious little .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Food shopping takes time, a commodity of which most of us have precious little.
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From which it follows that many will choose precious little attachment.
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The other difficulty is I have precious little instinct for business ventures.
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The rest of us have precious little influence over the global economy, though our lives are deeply affected by it.
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When the doors were opened tothe public, precious few came.
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While the photographs are excellent and plentiful. there is precious little video.