precise

英文词源

precise

precise: [16] Something that is precise is etymologically ‘cut off in front’. The word was acquired via French précis (subsequently borrowed as the noun précis ‘summary’ in the 18th century) from Latin praecīsus, an adjectival use of the past participle of praecīdere ‘shorten’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix prae- ‘in front’ and caedere ‘cut’ (source also of English concise, decide, excise, etc). The notion of being ‘shortened’ gradually slipped via ‘expressed shortly, leaving out extraneous matter’ to ‘exact’.
=> concise, decide, excise, précis

precise (adj.)

mid-15c., from Middle French précis "condensed, cut short" (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin precisus, from Latin praecisus "abrupt, abridged, cut off," past participle of praecidere "to cut off, shorten," from prae "before" (see pre-) + caedere "to cut" (see -cide; for Latin vowel change, see acquisition). Related: Precisely (late 14c.).