Hypertext Webster Gateway: "precocious"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (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: (botany) appearing or developing early; "precocious flowers
appear before the leaves as in some species of magnolias"
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