I. prēˈsizhən, prə̇ˈs- noun
( -s )
Etymology: in sense 1, from Latin praecision-, praecisio act of cutting off, from praecisus (past participle of praecidere to cut off) + -ion-, -io -ion; in other senses, from French précision, from Latin praecision-, praecisio act of cutting off — more at precise
1. obsolete : prescinding, abstraction
2.
a. : the quality or state of being precise : exact limitation : exactness , definiteness
defining words with utmost care, they fashioned their statements of doctrine with meticulous precision — C.A.Dinsmore
drove … emperors with the precision of an automation — Norman Douglas
especially : the degree of refinement with which an operation is performed or a measurement stated
the number, 2.42, shows a higher precision than 2.4, but it is not necessarily any more accurate — American Society of Civil Engineers
— contrasted with accuracy
b.
(1) : the degree of agreement of repeated measurements of a quantity
(2) : the deviation of a set of estimates from their mean
3. : an instance of precision : nicety
suspicion of the precisions of language — F.S.C.Northrop
II. adjective
: marked by precision of execution or measurement
a precision landing
a troop of precision dancers
as
a. : adapted for extremely fine or accurate measurement, observation, or operation
a precision level … will detect a variation of as little as .0025″ per foot — Metals & Alloys
precision cartography
b. : held to low tolerance in manufacture or finishing
a precision gear
a precision finish
precision parts
III. noun
1. : the accuracy (as in binary or decimal places) with which a number can be represented usually expressed in terms of the number of computer words available for representation
double precision arithmetic permits the representation of an expression by two computer words
2. : relevance 1 herein