precipitate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly.
to precipitate an international crisis.
- Synonyms:
- accelerate
- Antonyms:
- retard
-
to cast down headlong; fling or hurl down.
-
to cast, plunge, or send, especially violently or abruptly.
He precipitated himself into the struggle.
-
Chemistry. to separate (a substance) in solid form from a solution, as by means of a reagent.
- Synonyms:
- crystallize
verb (used without object)
-
Meteorology. to fall to the earth's surface as a condensed form of water; to rain, snow, hail, drizzle, etc.
-
to separate from a solution as a precipitate.
-
to be cast or thrown down headlong.
adjective
-
a precipitate fall down the stairs.
-
rushing headlong or rapidly onward.
-
proceeding rapidly or with great haste.
a precipitate retreat.
-
exceedingly sudden or abrupt.
a precipitate stop; a precipitate decision.
-
done or made without sufficient deliberation; overhasty; rash.
a precipitate marriage.
- Antonyms:
- careful
noun
-
Chemistry. a substance precipitated from a solution.
-
moisture condensed in the form of rain, snow, etc.
verb
-
(tr) to cause to happen too soon or sooner than expected; bring on
-
to throw or fall from or as from a height
-
to cause (moisture) to condense and fall as snow, rain, etc, or (of moisture, rain, etc) to condense and fall thus
-
chem to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which a dissolved substance separates from solution as a fine suspension of solid particles
adjective
-
rushing ahead
-
done rashly or with undue haste
-
sudden and brief
noun
-
To fall from the atmosphere as rain, snow, or another form of precipitation.
-
To separate as a solid from a solution in chemical precipitation.
Other Word Forms
- nonprecipitative adjective
- precipitability noun
- precipitable adjective
- precipitately adverb
- precipitateness noun
- precipitative adjective
- precipitator noun
- unprecipitate adjective
- unprecipitately adverb
- unprecipitateness noun
- unprecipitative adjective
- unprecipitatively adverb
Etymology
Origin of precipitate
First recorded in 1520–30; the verb and adjective derive from Latin praecipitātus (past participle of praecipitāre “to cast down headlong”), equivalent to praecipit- (stem of praeceps “steep”; precipice ) + -ātus past participle suffix ( -ate 1 ); the noun comes from New Latin praecipitātum “a precipitate,” noun use of neuter of praecipitātus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another possibility: Tech investment gets ahead of demand, precipitating a bust.
“A breakdown in negotiations could precipitate flows into safe-haven assets like gold,” the CEO said.
On 4 December, 2024, Yoon announced to the nation that he was declaring martial law – plunging South Korea into chaos and setting in motion a series of events that would precipitate his downfall.
From BBC
A new crisis, however, quickly put an end to exchanges, precipitating the mass incarceration of prisoners that marked the last two years of the war.
This reaction produced a solid precipitate that gradually expanded until it completely blocked the opening.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
