definitions

precipitation

[ pri-sip-i-tey-shuh n ]
/ prɪˌsɪp ɪˈteɪ ʃən /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR precipitation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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RELATED WORDS

rainfall, snow, rain, storm, drizzle, sleet, rainstorm, condensation, cloudburst, hail, wetness, hailstorm

Nearby words

precipitable water, precipitancy, precipitant, precipitate, precipitate labor, precipitation, precipitation hardening, precipitin, precipitin test, precipitinogen, precipitous

Origin of precipitation

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin praecipitātiōn- (stem of praecipitātiō) a falling headlong. See precipitate, -ion

Related forms

non·pre·cip·i·ta·tion, nounself-pre·cip·i·ta·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for precipitation

British Dictionary definitions for precipitation

precipitation

/ (prɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃən) /

noun

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
the production or formation of a chemical precipitate
the act of precipitating or the state of being precipitated
rash or undue haste
spiritualism the appearance of a spirit in bodily form; materialization
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for precipitation

precipitation

[ prĭ-sĭp′ĭ-tā′shən ]

n.

The process of separating a substance from a solution as a solid.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for precipitation

precipitation

[ prĭ-sĭp′ĭ-tā′shən ]

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.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for precipitation

precipitation

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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.