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près. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
près, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
près in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
près you have here. The definition of the word
près will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
près, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
French
Etymology
From Old French pres (“closely”), from Vulgar Latin *pressō, from Latin pressus (“concise”), from premō (“to press, push, condense”). Cognate with Italian presso and Sicilian pressu.
Pronunciation
Adverb
près
- near (a time or a place); close (to a time or a place)
- J’habite tout près. ― I live just nearby.
- J’habite près de l’épicerie. ― I live close to the grocery store.
Preposition
près
- (formal or law) attached to, connects a person or an organisation delegated officially to a setting.
- Synonym: auprès de
- un expert près les tribunaux ― an expert witness
- les procureurs près les tribunaux ― court-appointed prosecutors
- l’ambassade de France près le Saint-Siège ― the French Embassy to the Holy See
- l’ambassadeur près le Saint-Siège ― the ambassador to the Holy See
Usage notes
- When used as a preposition (before a noun), près must be immediately followed by de (près de). The rare exceptions belong to a very formal register listed above. For everyday speech and writing, près de is to be used to mean "near something".
- The adverbial phrases de près (“closely”) and à peu près (“approximately”) can be used without de after them.
- près is only used with the embassies and ambassadors connected to the Vatican, as they are actually located outside, in Rome. All the other embassies and ambassadorial titles use common prepositions en, à, au or aux before host nations' names. (See Ambassades de France)
Derived terms
Further reading
Anagrams
Walloon
Etymology
Old French pres (“closely”). See above.
Pronunciation
Adverb
près
- near
Antonyms