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precipitate. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
precipitate, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
precipitate in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology 1
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
Verb:
Adjective:
common but often proscribed:
Verb
precipitate (third-person singular simple present precipitates, present participle precipitating, simple past and past participle precipitated)
- (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
- 1737, Richard Glover, Leonidas Book 4
Back to his sight precipitates her steps.
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
- (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.
- (transitive) To send violently into a certain state or condition.
we were precipitated into a conflict
- (intransitive) (chemistry) To come out of a liquid solution into solid form.
Adding the acid will cause the salt to precipitate.
- (transitive) (chemistry) To separate a substance out of a liquid solution into solid form.
- (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.
- (transitive) To cause (water in the air) to condense or fall to the ground.
- (intransitive) To fall headlong.
- (intransitive) To act too hastily; to be precipitous.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
to make something happen suddenly and quickly; hasten
- Bulgarian: ускорявам (bg) (uskorjavam)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 加速 (zh) (jiāsù), 突然引發/突然引发 (tūrán yǐnfā)
- Finnish: kiirehtiä (fi), kiihdyttää (fi), nopeuttaa (fi), jouduttaa (fi)
- German: vorantreiben (de), beschleunigen (de), überstürzen (de)
- Greek: επιταχύνω (el) (epitachýno), επισπεύδω (el) (epispévdo)
- Hungarian: felgyorsít (hu), elősegít (hu), siettet (hu), sürget (hu), meggyorsít (hu), kivált (hu), kirobbant (hu)
- Japanese: 促進する (saishin suru)
- Maori: whakauruhi
- Romanian: accelera (ro), precipita (ro), grăbi (ro)
- Russian: ускорять (ru) impf (uskorjatʹ), ускорить (ru) pf (uskoritʹ)
- Swedish: påskynda (sv)
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to throw an object or person from a great height
- Finnish: syöstä (fi), paiskata (fi)
- Galician: esbarrancar
- German: hinabwerfen, hinabstürzen (to push), hinabschleudern (with force), runterwerfen (coll.), runterschubsen (coll., to push)
- Greek: κατακρημνίζω (el) (katakrimnízo), γκρεμίζω (el) (gkremízo)
- Hungarian: letaszít (hu), levet (hu), ledob (hu)
- Quechua: chanqaykuy
- Spanish: tirar abajo, arrojar (es), precipitar (es)
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to send violently into a certain state or condition
to have water in the air fall to the ground
Adjective
precipitate (comparative more precipitate, superlative most precipitate)
- 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.
- Very steep; precipitous.
- Synonym: brant
- 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.
- 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."
- Performed very rapidly or abruptly.
- Synonyms: abrupt, precipitous, subitaneous; see also Thesaurus:sudden
Derived terms
Translations
Headlong; falling steeply or vertically
With a hasty impulse; hurried; headstrong
Moving with excessive speed or haste
Etymology 2
From New Latin praecipitatum. Doublet of precipitato.
Pronunciation
Noun
precipitate (plural precipitates)
- a product resulting from a process, event, or course of action
- (chemistry) a solid that exits the liquid phase of a solution
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
chemistry: solid that exits the liquid phase of a solution
Further reading
- “precipitate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “precipitate”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “precipitate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
Italian
Etymology 1
Adjective
precipitate f pl
- feminine plural of precipitato
Participle
precipitate f pl
- feminine plural of precipitato
Etymology 2
Verb
precipitate
- inflection of precipitare:
- second-person plural present indicative
- second-person plural imperative
Spanish
Verb
precipitate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of precipitar combined with te