Precious  —adj. 1 of great value or worth. 2 beloved; much prized (precious memories). 3 affectedly refined. 4 colloq. Often iron. A considerable (a precious lot of good). B expressing contempt or disdain (keep your precious flowers!). —adv. Colloq. Extremely, very (had precious little left).  preciousness n. [latin pretium price]