precipitation

[pri-sip-i-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of precipitating; state of being precipitated.

2. a casting down or falling headlong.

3. a hastening or hurrying in movement, procedure, or action.

4. sudden haste.

5. unwise or rash rapidity.

6. Meteorology.

   1. falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, as rain, snow, or hail.

   2. the amount of rain, snow, hail, etc., that has fallen at a given place within a given period, usually expressed in inches or centimeters of water.

7. Chemistry, Physics.,  the precipitating of a substance from a solution.

precipitation

/ prɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. meteorol

   1. rain, snow, sleet, dew, etc, formed by condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere

   2. the deposition of these on the earth's surface

   3. the amount precipitated

2. the production or formation of a chemical precipitate

3. the act of precipitating or the state of being precipitated

4. rash or undue haste

5. spiritualism the appearance of a spirit in bodily form; materialization

precipitation

1. A form of water, such as rain, snow, or sleet, that condenses from the atmosphere, becomes too heavy to remain suspended, and falls to the Earth's surface. Different atmospheric conditions are responsible for the different forms of precipitation.

2. The process by which a substance is separated out of a solution as a solid. Precipitation occurs either by the action of gravity or through a chemical reaction that forms an insoluble compound out of two or more soluble compounds.

precipitation

1. In meteorology, the fall of water, ice, or snow deposited on the surface of the Earth from the atmosphere. In chemistry, a chemical reaction in a solution in which a solid material is formed and subsequently falls, as a precipitate, to the bottom of the container.

Other Word Forms

• nonprecipitation noun
• self-precipitation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of precipitation¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin praecipitātiōn-, stem of praecipitātiō “a casting down headlong,” equivalent to praecipitāt(us) “cast down headlong” (past participle of praecipitāre precipitate ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

That was followed by two years that were wetter than average for Northern California but drier than average for the southern half, amounting to roughly average precipitation statewide.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A warming world means we are more likely to see winter precipitation fall as rain rather than snow, external.

Read more on BBC

As the final rains of a storm-filled week moved over Southern California, heavy precipitation was already causing some flooding and trapped some cars in the snow overnight.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Blazes were once rare in the Mojave Desert, but have become increasingly common amid hotter, drier conditions and more extreme swings in precipitation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Most areas will experience around six to eight hours of precipitation, weather service officials in Oxnard said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drizzle 
• rain 
• rainfall 
• rainstorm 
• sleet 
• snow 
• storm