precision
/prɪˈsɪʒ(ə)n
/noun [mass noun]
1The quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate: the deal was planned and executed with military precision...
- But then I have these ridiculous plans that need to be executed with exact precision.
- Their plan was put in place days before and was executed with military precision.
- The same qualities of precision and rigour he showed in research were brought to his teaching but this did not mean that his lectures were complicated.
Synonyms
exactness, exactitude, accuracy, accurateness, correctness, preciseness, clarity, clearness, distinctness;
faithfulness, fidelity;
care, carefulness, meticulousness, scrupulousness, punctiliousness, particularity, methodicalness, perfection, rigour, rigorousness, nicety
1.1 [as modifier] Marked by or adapted for accuracy and exactness: a precision instrument...
- It just looks like it might actually be fun to use, even though it is a precision instrument.
- Bullet molds are precision instruments, and must be used and stored carefully.
- Torque wrenches are precision instruments and need to treated and operated carefully.
1.2 technical Refinement in a measurement, calculation, or specification, especially as represented by the number of digits given: a technique which examines and identifies each character with the highest level of precision [count noun]: a precision of six decimal figures...Compare with accuracy.
- The Greek archaeologist Manolis Korres has been working on the Acropolis for 25 years, devising diagrams in accordance with the precisions made by the architects of the Parthenon, Ietinus and Callicrates.
- To check the measurement precision of our scatterometer, we conducted tests.
- The sixteen digit strings were converted to floating point losing the last digit of precision so all numbers ended in zero.
Origin
Mid 18th century: from French précision or Latin praecisio(n-), from praecidere 'cut off' (see precise).