precocious: [17] Precocious means etymologically ‘pre-cooked’. It was borrowed from Latin praecox, a derivative of the verb praecoquere ‘cook in advance’, which was a compound formed from the prefix prae- ‘before’ and coquere ‘cook’ (a relative of English cook and kitchen). But coquere was also used metaphorically for ‘ripen’, and so praecox also meant ‘early-ripening’ – whence English precocious ‘developing before its time’. The apricot is etymologically the ‘precocious’ fruit. => apricot, cook, kiln, kitchen
precocious (adj.)
1640s, "developed before the usual time" (of plants), with -ous + Latin praecox (genitive praecocis) "maturing early," from prae "before" (see pre-) + coquere "to ripen," literally "to cook" (see cook (n.)). Originally of flowers or fruits. Figurative use, of persons, dates from 1670s. Related: Precociously; precociousness.
例文
1. From childhood，he was evidently at once rebellious and precocious .
子供の頃から、彼は明らかに反抗的で早熟だった。
2.Sue is a thoroughly precocious little madam if ever there was one.
休さんは確かに珍しい早熟な女の子です。
3.a precocious child who started her acting career at the age of 5
5歳で芸能生活を始めた超常児
4.She burst on to the world tennis scene as a precocious 14-year old.
彼女は14歳の時にテニスの神童として世界のテニス界に飛び込んだ。
5.Despite her precocious talent for music and art，she failed both subjects at school.