preciouslyadv.
/ˈprɛʃəsli/, U.S. /ˈprɛʃəsli/ 1. In a costly manner, expensively.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > [adverb] > involving great expense
costly1395
preciouslyc1395
costiouslyc1425
costfullya1464
costlew1480
sumptuouslyc1487
costlilya1500
preciousc1500
expensively?1607
deeply1631
c1395 G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale 500 It nys but wast to burye hym preciously [v.r. preciouslye].
a1425 (?c1375) Barlaam & Josaphat (Harl.) 391 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Legenden (1875) 1st Ser. 220 (MED) Þeos schrines ben lyk to suche men þat ben i cloþed preciousliche.
c1475 Antichrist & Disciples in J. H. Todd Three Treat. J. Wycklyffe (1851) p. cxxvi (MED) Þe pope & oþere bischopes wole kepe here feet ful cleene..sum tyme wiþ sendales wiþ golde, wiþ siluer & silk preciousely diȝt.
1547 Certain Serm. or Homilies sig. Di v Vnto whose images the people with great devocion inuented pylgrimages, prettiously deckyng and censyng them, kneling doune and offering to them.
1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. ii. xvii. f. 105 Paule saith, that we are preciously bought.
1592 R. Greene Quip for Vpstart Courtier sig. D2 A nose autem nose purphled pretiously with pearle & stone, like a counterfait work.
1667 J. Dryden Annus Mirabilis 1666 xxix. 8 Some preciously by shatter'd Porc'lain fall, And some by Aromatick splinters die.
1737 tr. F. Rabelais Wks. IV. xvi. 65 Who will earn twenty Ducats, for being beaten like the Devil?.. They were all thronging who should be first, to be thus preciously beaten.
1859 Sir F. N. Broome Stranger of Seriphos i. 20 This woman clad so preciously.
1923 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 1 Sept. 1/3 To keep Germany from tricking us out of what we so preciously purchased with our blood.
1994 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 27 May c1 A strike now would be one spark the airports will want to extinguish quickly, or risk losing their preciously won business.
2. As a precious thing, as befits something valuable.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > [adverb]
welleOE
carefullya1000
wiselyc1000
redelya1250
cherelya1375
tentivelya1375
viselyc1380
curiouslya1382
namelya1382
smartlya1400
tentily?a1400
dearlyc1400
diligentlyc1400
preciously?a1425
listly?a1513
charely1545
heedely1548
accurately1549
respectively1556
heedfully1561
howfully1565
charily1577
heedily1577
charya1593
solicitously1618
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 149 Þei worschipen the Owle, And whan þei han ony of here fedres, þei kepen hem full precyously [?a1425 Egerton wirschepfully; Fr. preciousement].
c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 4959 (MED) In thilk Arche and the potte was manna kept preciously.
1587 R. Rogers Diary 19 Dec. in Two Elizabethan Puritan Diaries (1933) 71 It might please god to continue my liberty still, which if he doe I trust I shall use it more preciously.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 242 The time 'twixt six & now Must by vs both be spent most preciously . View more context for this quotation
1647 R. Stapleton tr. Juvenal Sixteen Satyrs 250 A coate of armes cut in a pretious sardonix-stone, and pretiously kept.
1666 S. Crisp Epist. Friends 7 Love one towards another; which, blessed be the Lord, is preciously preserved in and among many to this very day.
1731 Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 409 Such ideas..are incomprehensible to them at present, and yet..they preserve them preciously, and use their utmost endeavours to find out the sense of them.
1850 W. G. Simms Lily & Totem xvii. 244 In the fondness of my passion, I forgot my trust; forgot preciously to guard and protect the precious treasure in my keeping.
1897 B. Stoker Dracula xxii. 300 I could not contain myself at the thought that the minutes and seconds so preciously laden with Mina's life and happiness were flying from us.
1943 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 29 July 12/3 Many residents..were left wondering what to do with their preciously hoarded bottles, stored carefully away in the back recesses of their basements.
1994 S. Pinker Lang. Instinct xii. 400 Most slang lexicons are preciously guarded by their subcultures as membership badges.
3. Fastidiously, scrupulously; with delicate or meticulous workmanship. Also: with affected refinement (cf. precious adj. 3).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > refinement > fastidiousness > [adverb]
over-delicately1357
preciouslyc1430
daintethlyc1440
pickedlya1528
finely1542
nicely1547
fastidiously?1555
daintily1561
curiously1573
sizely?1578
fine1579
overnicely1582
squeamishly1606
finically1659
just so1683
superfinely1693
hypercritically1715
meticulously1900
c1430 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1882) iv. 590 Deuyne not in resoun ay so depe, Ne preciously [a1425 Corpus Cambr. corteisly], but help þynself a-non.
1635 R. Brathwait Raglands Niobe sig. A8v Which temper..Seemes in my judgement pretiously compos'd, And such as wee should imitate.
1862 P. G. Hamerton Painter's Camp I. xxix. 390 If..you fall short of this point, your art of painting from nature is not yet quite perfectly and preciously imitative.
1889 Harper's Mag. Aug. 340/2 Boyars..whose horses were..bridled, not with leather reins, but with chains of silver or gold rings preciously wrought with chiselling or niello-work.
1922 Times Lit. Suppl. 24 Aug. 542/2 Quick popularity comes to those who, whether vulgarly or preciously, do write for effect.
1993 Spy (N.Y.) Feb. 60/1 He's a former elected prosecutor in St. Charles, Missouri, a preciously restored cobblestoned olde towne by the banks of the Mississippi.
4. colloquial. Very greatly; exceedingly, extremely.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > extremely or exceedingly
swithlyc888
micklelyeOE
swith971
hardOE
un-i-fohOE
sevenfoldlOE
unmeet?c1225
innerlyc1330
horribly1340
too1340
sore1474
horriblec1475
vehemently1483
outrageous1487
done?a1513
exquisite1529
strangely1532
exceeding1535
exceedingly1535
angardlyc1540
angerlyc1540
choicec1540
vengeable1542
vengeably?1550
extremelya1554
monstrous1569
thrice1579
amain1587
extremea1591
damnably1598
fellc1600
tyrannically1602
exquisitely1603
damnedly1607
preciously1607
damnablea1616
impensively1620
excellingly1621
main1632
fearful1634
vengeancelya1640
upsy1650
impensely1657
twadding1657
vastly1664
hideous1667
mainly1670
consumed1707
consumedly1707
outrageously1749
damned1757
nation1771
shockingly1777
deuced1779
darn1789
darned1807
felly1807
varsal1814
awful1816
awfy1816
frightfully1816
deucedly1819
dogged1819
awfully1820
gallowsa1823
shocking1831
tremendously1832
everlasting1833
terribly1833
fearfully1835
ripping1838
poison1840
thundering1853
frighteninglyc1854
raring1854
hell's own1863
goldarned1866
goddamned1870
doggone1871
acutely1872
whooping1874
stupidly1878
everlastingly1879
hideously1882
densely1883
storming1883
good and1885
thunderingly1885
crazy1887
tremendous1887
madly1888
goldarn1892
howling1895
murderously1916
rasted1919
goddam1921
bitchingly1923
Christly1923
bitching1929
falling-down1930
lousy1932
appallingly1937
stratospherically1941
Christ almighty1945
effing1945
focking1956
dagnab1961
drop-dead1980
hella1987
totes2006
1607 T. Middleton Phoenix sig. D3v Is your venture three hundred? y'are verie pretiously welcome.
a1625 J. Fletcher Faire Maide of Inne (1647) iii. i. 38 Well done my lusty blouds, preciously well done, One lusty rouse of wine, and take leave on all sides.
a1642 J. Suckling Sad One in Wks. (1766) iii. iii. 442 Her Hair's so preciously fair and soft.
1791 Good Daughter-in-Law ii. 26 Well, Miss, I vow, as my mamma says, you are preciously vulgar.
1840 W. M. Thackeray Barber Cox in Comic Almanack 33 Captain Tagrag was my opponent, and preciously we poked each other.
1884 Manch. Examiner 11 June 5/1 To find out how preciously they had been befooled.
1922 Times 22 Feb. 9/4 They were preciously near to being involved in the ebb tide.
1984 Listener 15 Nov. 3/2 The RUC has for years striven to achieve this goal and at times has come preciously close to success.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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