Learn English – Can “precise” be used as a verb? Was it ever used much as a verb

etymologyhistoryword-usage

I found this in
the writings of 19th century economist Francis Ysidro Edgeworth:

To precise the ideas …

Was "precise" ever used much as a verb? 
Can and should we use it as a verb today?

Research findings:

  • préciser means to clarify in French. 
    In English we use verbs such as specify and detail
    to mean what the French mean by préciser.
      provided by David Handelman,
    supplemented by Drew
  • It turns out that F Y Edgeworth’s mother was Catalan,
    his father died when he was two
    and he was educated at home in Ireland up to entering university. 
    Not having much knowledge of Spanish
    I wonder whether ‘to precise’ is an Anglicisation
    of a Spanish, or possibly Catalan, verb. 
    It’s also worth noting that the ultimate root of precise
    is a Latin verb even though we use it only as an adjective.
          provided by BoldBen

Best Answer

In a comment, FumbleFingers answered:

The full OED defines the verb to precise as To make precise or definite; to define precisely or exactly; to particularize. Now rare.

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