Precocial

//pɹɪˈkəʊ.ʃəl// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Hatched from the egg already covered in down and with eyes open; capable of leaving the nest within a few days. not-comparable

    "Being precocial, shorebird chicks leave the nest soon after hatching to forage by themselves, but, as they are not yet homeothermic, they lose body heat while foraging and must be rewarmed by their parents at regular intervals."

Adjective
  1. 1
    (of hatchlings) covered with down and having eyes open; capable of leaving the nest within a few days wordnet

Example

More examples

"Being precocial, shorebird chicks leave the nest soon after hatching to forage by themselves, but, as they are not yet homeothermic, they lose body heat while foraging and must be rewarmed by their parents at regular intervals."

Etymology

From Latin praecŏcĭa (“places where fruits ripen early”).

More for "precocial"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.