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precipitation
[ pri-sip-i-tey-shuhn ]
/ prɪˌsɪp ɪˈteɪ ʃən /
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noun
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Origin of precipitation
1425–75; late Middle English <Latin praecipitātiōn- (stem of praecipitātiō) a falling headlong. See precipitate, -ion
OTHER WORDS FROM precipitation
non·pre·cip·i·ta·tion, nounself-pre·cip·i·ta·tion, nounWords nearby precipitation
precipitable water, precipitancy, precipitant, precipitate, precipitated, precipitation, precipitation hardening, precipitin, precipitinogen, precipitous, précis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use precipitation in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for precipitation
precipitation
/ (prɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃən) /
noun
meteorol
- rain, snow, sleet, dew, etc, formed by condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere
- the deposition of these on the earth's surface
- 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
Scientific 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.
Cultural 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.