precipitate

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English

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WOTD – 29 November 2007

Alternative forms

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Etymology 1

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From Latin praecipitatus, from praecipitō (“throw down, hurl down, throw headlong”), from praeceps (“head foremost, headlong”), from prae (“before”) + caput (“head”). Its English equivalent is probably analyzable as precipice +‎ -ate.

Pronunciation

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Verb:

Adjective:

common but often proscribed:

Verb

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precipitate (third-person singular simple present precipitates, present participle precipitating, simple past and past participle precipitated)

  1. (transitive) To make something happen suddenly and quickly.
    Synonyms: advance, accelerate, hasten, speed up
    to precipitate a journey, or a conflict
    it precipitated their success
    • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Ambition”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
      if they be stout and daring, it may precipitate their designs, and prove dangerous
    • 1737, Richard Glover, Leonidas Book 4
      Back to his sight precipitates her steps.
    • 1979 December 29, Rudy Kikel, “Young Men”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 23, page 15:
      Freshly arrived in Paris in 1871 at the age of 17, Rimbaud proceded [sic] to precipitate the collapse of Verlaine's marital menage, and with it his social position.
  2. (transitive) To throw an object or person from a great height.
    Synonyms: throw, fling, cast; see also Thesaurus:throw
    • 1822 May 21, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Hawking”, in Bracebridge Hall, or The Humourists. A Medley. […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: […] C. S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, page 182:
      In gallopping heedlessly along, with her eyes turned upwards, she had unwarily approached too near the bank; it had given way with her, and she and her horse had been precipitated to the pebbled margin of the river.
  3. (transitive) To send violently into a certain state or condition.
    we were precipitated into a conflict
  4. (intransitive) (chemistry) To come out of a liquid solution into solid form.
    Adding the acid will cause the salt to precipitate.
  5. (transitive) (chemistry) To separate a substance out of a liquid solution into solid form.
  6. (intransitive, meteorology) To have water in the air fall to the ground, for example as rain, snow, sleet, or hail; be deposited as condensed droplets.
    Troponyms: rain, snow, hail
    It will precipitate tomorrow, but we don't know whether as rain or snow.
  7. (transitive) To cause (water in the air) to condense or fall to the ground.
  8. (intransitive) To fall headlong.
  9. (intransitive) To act too hastily; to be precipitous.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Adjective

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precipitate (comparative more precipitate, superlative most precipitate)

  1. headlong; falling steeply or vertically.
    Synonyms: headlong, precipitant, precipitous
    • 1718, Matthew Prior, Solomon, book 2, lines 853–854:
      When the full stores their ancient bounds disdain, / Precipitate the furious torrent flows.
  2. Very steep; precipitous.
    Synonym: brant
  3. With a hasty impulse; hurried; headstrong.
    Synonyms: hotheaded, impetuous, rash; see also Thesaurus:reckless
    • 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 145:
      Though thoughtful far beyond your years, you are very inexperienced; and I would not have a preference that may originate in your little knowledge of others, or a romantic exaggeration of slight kindnesses, lead you into a precipitate union with me, unless you most seriously examine your own heart, and weigh the various consequences.
  4. Moving with excessive speed or haste; overly hasty.
    The king was too precipitate in declaring war.
    a precipitate case of disease
    • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
      'One moment!" said Malone. "I beg, sir, that you will not be precipitate. I value your friendship too much to risk the loss of it if it can, in any way, be avoided."
  5. Performed very rapidly or abruptly.
    Synonyms: abrupt, precipitous, subitaneous; see also Thesaurus:sudden
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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From New Latin praecipitatum. Doublet of precipitato.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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precipitate (plural precipitates)

  1. a product resulting from a process, event, or course of action
  2. (chemistry) a solid that exits the liquid phase of a solution
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Translations
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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Italian

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Etymology 1

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Adjective

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precipitate f pl

  1. feminine plural of precipitato

Participle

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precipitate f pl

  1. feminine plural of precipitato

Etymology 2

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Verb

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precipitate

  1. inflection of precipitare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Spanish

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Verb

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precipitate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of precipitar combined with te
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