precipitate
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/
ipa: /pɹəˈsɪpɪteɪt/
Forms: form: precipitates
form: precipitating
form: precipitated
form: precipitated
form: præcipitate
Etymology: From Latin praecipitātus, perfect passive participle of praecipitō (“throw down, hurl down, throw headlong”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from praeceps (“head foremost, headlong”) (praecipit- in its oblique stem), from prae (“before”) + -ceps (“headed”).
Senses: examples: text: to precipitate a journey, or a conflict
text: it precipitated their success
text: if they be stout and daring, it may precipitate their designs, and prove dangerous
ref: 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Ambition”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
text: Back to his sight precipitates her steps.
text: 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.
ref: 1979 December 29, Rudy Kikel, “Young Men”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 23, page 15:
synonyms: advance
accelerate
hasten
speed up
glosses: To make something happen suddenly and quickly.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 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:
synonyms: word: throw
word: fling
word: cast
word: bung
word: cast
word: chuck
word: chunk
word: cook
word: dash
word: dump
word: feck
word: fling
word: jerk
word: heave
word: hield
word: hoy
word: huck
word: hurl
word: hurtle
word: launch
word: lob
word: peck
word: peg
word: pick
word: pitch
word: precipitate
word: project
word: quoit
word: shy
word: slight
word: skew
word: sling
word: thrill
word: throw
word: toss
word: traject
word: warp
word: whang
word: whip
word: whop
word: wing
glosses: To throw an object or person from a great height.
examples: text: we were precipitated into a conflict
glosses: To send violently into a certain state or condition.
examples: text: Adding the acid will cause the salt to precipitate.
glosses: (chemistry) To come out of a liquid solution into solid form.
glosses: (chemistry) To separate a substance out of a liquid solution into solid form.
examples: text: It will precipitate tomorrow, but we don't know whether as rain or snow.
topics: climatology
meteorology
natural-sciences
troponyms: rain
snow
hail
glosses: To have water in the air fall to the ground, for example as rain, snow, sleet, or hail; be deposited as condensed droplets.
examples: text: The light vapour of the preceding evening had been precipitated by the cold.
ref: 1819 June 23 – 1820 September 13, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “(please specify the title)”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC:
glosses: To cause (water in the air) to condense or fall to the ground.
glosses: To fall headlong.
glosses: To act too hastily; to be precipitous.
Synonyms: headlong
Derived terms: precipitated
precipitator
red precipitate
white precipitate
Related terms: precipice
precipitation
praecipito
precipitous