Precocious

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Precocious \Pre*co"cious\, a. [L. praecox, -ocis, and
     praecoquus, fr. praecoquere to cook or ripen beforehand; prae
     before + coquere to cook. See 3d {Cook}, and cf. {Apricot}.]
     1. Ripe or mature before the proper or natural time; early or
        prematurely ripe or developed; as, precocious trees. [R.]
        --Sir T. Browne.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Developed more than is natural or usual at a given age;
        exceeding what is to be expected of one's years; too
        forward; -- used especially of mental forwardness; as, a
        precocious child; precocious talents.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  precocious
       adj 1: characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early
              development or maturity (especially in mental
              aptitude); "a precocious child"; "a precocious
              achievement" [ant: {retarded}]
       2: appearing or developing early; "precocious flowers appear
          before the leaves as in some species of magnolias"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  36 Moby Thesaurus words for "precocious":
     a bit previous, advanced, ahead, bright, developed, early,
     far ahead, forward, gifted, half-baked, half-cocked, hasty,
     ill-considered, impulsive, intelligent, mature, not firm,
     overhasty, oversoon, precipitate, premature, previous, quick,
     rushed, smart, soon, too early, too soon, uncrystallized, unjelled,
     unmatured, unmeditated, unpremeditated, unprepared, unripe,
     untimely