precipitate

precipitate

English

WOTD – 29 November 2007

Alternative forms

• præcipitate (obsolete)

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 analysable as precipice +‎ -ate.

Pronunciation

Verb:

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/, /pɹəˈsɪpɪteɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective:

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsɪpɪtət/, /pɹəˈsɪpɪtət/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

common but often proscribed:

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/, /pɹəˈsɪpɪteɪt/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Verb

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

   • 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 863521290:

     if they be stout and daring, it may precipitate their designs, and prove dangerous

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 1141021983, 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.
   • 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. S. Van Winkle, […], OCLC 1090970992:

     The light vapour of the preceding evening had been precipitated by the cold.

8. (intransitive) To fall headlong.
9. (intransitive) To act too hastily; to be precipitous.

Synonyms

• headlong

Derived terms

• precipitated
• precipitator
• red precipitate
• white precipitate

 

Related terms

• precipice
• precipitation

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 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)

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, levet (hu), ledob (hu) Quechua: chanqaykuy Spanish: tirar abajo, arrojar (es), precipitar (es)

to send violently into a certain state or condition

Bulgarian: хвърлям (bg) (hvǎrljam), подлагам на (podlagam na) Chinese: Mandarin: 促使 (zh), 突然 (zh)陷入 (zh) Finnish: syöstä (fi) German: werfen (de), stürzen (de) Greek: κατακρημνίζω (el) (katakrimnízo) Hungarian: beletaszít, belesodor Russian: втянуть (ru) pf (vtjanutʹ), ввергать (ru) impf (vvergatʹ)

to come out of a liquid solution into solid form

Bulgarian: утаявам се (utajavam se) Chinese: Mandarin: 沉澱／沉淀 (zh) Finnish: saostua French: précipiter (fr) German: niederschlagen (de), ausfällen Greek: κατακαθίζω (el) (katakathízo) Hungarian: kicsapódik (hu), leülepedik (hu), lecsapódik Maori: whakahuatoka Polish: osadzać się (pl) impf, osadzić się (pl) pf, wytrącać się impf, wytrącić się pf, strącać się impf, strącić się (pl) pf Romanian: precipita (ro), condensa (ro) Russian: выпадать в осадок impf (vypadatʹ v osadok), осаждаться (ru) impf (osaždatʹsja) Spanish: condensar (es), precipitar (es) Vietnamese: kết tủa (vi)

to separate out of a liquid solution into solid form

Bulgarian: утаявам (bg) (utajavam) Chinese: Mandarin: 沉澱／沉淀 (zh) Dutch: precipiteren (nl) Finnish: saostaa German: ausfällen Hungarian: kicsap (hu), leülepít, lecsap (hu) Maori: whakahuatoka Polish: wytrącić pf, wytrącać impf, strącić (pl) pf, strącać impf, osadzić (pl) pf, osadzać (pl) impf Romanian: depune (ro), precipita (ro) Slovak: vyzrážať Vietnamese: kết tủa (vi)

to have water in the air fall to the ground

Bulgarian: валя (bg) (valja) Chinese: Mandarin: 降雨 (zh) Finnish: sataa (fi) German: niederschlagen (de) (reflexive) Irish: comhdhlúthaigh Maori: tōtāwairehu Welsh: bwrw (cy)

Adjective

precipitate (comparative more precipitate, superlative most precipitate)

1. headlong; falling steeply or vertically.
   • 1718, Prior, Matthew, Solomon, book 2, lines 853–854:

     When the full stores their ancient bounds disdain, / Precipitate the furious torrent flows.

   Synonyms: headlong, precipitant, precipitous

2. Very steep; precipitous.

   Synonym: brant

3. With a hasty impulse; hurried; headstrong.
   • 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 1000392275, 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.

   Synonyms: hotheaded, impetuous, rash; see also Thesaurus:reckless

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.
   • 1931, Lovecraft, H[oward] P[hillips], chapter 6, in The Whisperer in Darkness:

     It had cost me a distinct psychological effort to do so, and now that I was shut inside I had a momentary longing for precipitate retreat.

   Synonyms: abrupt, precipitous, subitaneous; see also Thesaurus:sudden

Derived terms

• precipitately
• precipitateness

Translations

Headlong; falling steeply or vertically

Bulgarian: стремителен (bg) (stremitelen) Finnish: kohtisuora (fi), äkkijyrkkä (fi), syöksyvä (fi)

Very steep; precipitous

Bulgarian: стръмен (bg) (strǎmen) Finnish: äkkijyrkkä (fi) Greek: απόκρημνος (el) m (apókrimnos)

With a hasty impulse; hurried; headstrong

Bulgarian: прибързан (bg) (pribǎrzan) Danish: overilet Finnish: hätiköity Irish: mear, tobann

Moving with excessive speed or haste

Bulgarian: бърз (bg) (bǎrz) Finnish: hätäinen (fi) Greek: ταχύς (el) m (tachýs), βιαστικός (el) m (viastikós) Irish: tobann

Performed very rapidly or abruptly

Bulgarian: внезапен (bg) (vnezapen) Finnish: hätiköity Greek: εσπευσμένος (el) m (espefsménos)

Etymology 2

From New Latin praecipitatum. Doublet of precipitato.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsɪpɪtət/, /pɹəˈsɪpɪtət/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/, /pɹəˈsɪpɪteɪt/

Noun

precipitate (plural precipitates)

1. a product resulting from a process, event, or course of action
   • 1976, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift, New York: Avon, →ISBN, page 381:

     As for the musculature it is a precipitate of Spirit and the signature of the cosmos is in it.

2. (chemistry) a solid that exits the liquid phase of a solution

Related terms

• precipitous

Translations

product

Finnish: tulos (fi) Greek: ίζημα (el) n (ízima)

chemistry: solid that exits the liquid phase of a solution

Bulgarian: утайка (bg) f (utajka) Chinese: Mandarin: 沉澱物／沉淀物 (zh) Czech: sraženina f Danish: bundfald n Finnish: saos, saostuma (fi) Greek: καθίζημα n (kathízima) Indonesian: presipitat Malay: مندقن‎ (mendakan) Maori: huatoka Polish: osad (pl) m, strąt m Russian: оса́док (ru) m (osádok) Tagalog: himuo Turkish: çökelti (tr), tortu (tr), çökelek (tr)

Further reading

• precipitate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• precipitate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• precipitate at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Peripatetic, peripatetic

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Italian

Adjective

precipitate f pl

1. feminine plural of precipitato

Participle

precipitate f pl

1. feminine plural of precipitato

Verb

precipitate

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