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
Derived Forms
-
precipitabilitynoun
-
precipitatenessnoun
-
precipitatornoun
-
unprecipitatenessnoun
-
nonprecipitativeadjective
-
precipitableadjective
-
precipitativeadjective
-
unprecipitateadjective
-
unprecipitativeadjective
-
precipitatelyadverb
-
unprecipitatelyadverb
-
unprecipitativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
precipitatesimple
-
precipitatessimple
-
have precipitatedperfect
-
has precipitatedperfect
-
am precipitatingprogressive
-
are precipitatingprogressive
-
is precipitatingprogressive
-
have been precipitatingperfect progressive
-
has been precipitatingperfect progressive
Past
-
precipitatedsimple
-
had precipitatedperfect
-
was precipitatingprogressive
-
were precipitatingprogressive
-
had been precipitatingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see precipice) + -ātus past participle suffix ( see -ate 1); the noun comes from New Latin praecipitātum “a precipitate,” noun use of neuter of praecipitātus
Explanation
Precipitate usually means "bringing something on" or "making it happen" — and not always in a good way. An unpopular verdict might "precipitate violence" or one false step at the Grand Canyon could precipitate you down into the gorge. Precipitate, as a verb, can also mean specifically, "to fall from clouds," such as rain, snow, or other forms of precipitation. When used as an adjective, precipitate means "hasty" or "acting suddenly." If you decide to throw your class project in a trash masher just because someone in your class had a similar idea, then your actions might be described as precipitate. Or if you do that sort of thing regularly, you may be a precipitate person.
Vocabulary lists containing precipitate
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 7
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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.
Precipitate those businesses leaving the state, even if they already hold a lot of their investment capital offshore.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2023
Precipitate the carbonic and sulphuric acids by the addition of muriate of barytes, taking care not to add any excess of the tests.
From A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons Exhibiting the Fraudulent Sophistications of Bread, Beer, Wine, Spiritous Liquors, Tea, Coffee, Cream, Confectionery, Vinegar, Mustard, Pepper, Cheese, Olive Oil, Pickles, and Other Articles Employed in Domestic Economy by Accum, Friedrich Christian
Precipitate action of this kind prevents the troops being engaged in the most advantageous manner.
Precipitate allowed to stand 24 hours, and then dried at 55°.
From Histology of the Blood Normal and Pathological by Myers, W.
Of course he was not a good-tempered man, or he would not have justified his nickname of Red Precipitate, but he spared the rod with me, and failed to keep me in order.
From The Reminiscences of an Irish Land Agent by Gordon, Home, Sir, Bart.
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.
