/ ˌpreʃiˈɒsɪti; ˌpresi-; NAmE -ˈɑːs-/ noun
[ U ] ( disapproving ) the quality of being precious (5)
SYN preciousness
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: suggested by French préciosité , a sense derived from Molière's Les Précieuses Ridicules (1659), a comedy in which ladies going to the literary salons of Paris were satirized.