precipitation

[pri-sip-i-tey-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR precipitation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of precipitating; state of being precipitated.

a casting down or falling headlong.

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

sudden haste.

unwise or rash rapidity.

Meteorology.

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

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

Origin of precipitation

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

Related formsnon·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

Related Words for precipitation

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

Examples from the Web for precipitation

Historical Examples of precipitation

Here the first step is absorption and expansion, not precipitation.
Life: Its True Genesis
R. W. Wright
This was done in lime-water, without any precipitation of lime.
Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air
Joseph Priestley
But Hermann arose with precipitation to carry the news to his wife.
Falk
Joseph Conrad
So saying, Funkelstein turned, and walked away with some precipitation.
David Elginbrod
George MacDonald
On distilling off the acetone, a precipitation is determined.
Researches on Cellulose
C. F. Cross

British Dictionary definitions for precipitation

precipitation

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

Word Origin and History for precipitation

late 15c., "a casting down" (of the evil angels from heaven), also, in alchemy "separation of a solid substance from a solution," from Middle French precipitation (15c.) and directly from Latin praecipitationem (nominative praecipitatio) "act or fact of falling headlong, haste," noun of action from past participle stem of praecipitare "fall, be hasty," from praeceps "steep" (see precipice). Meaning "sudden haste" is c.1500. Meaning "act of falling from a height" is attested from 1610s. Meteorological sense of "rain, snow, dew, etc." is from 1670s.

precipitation in Medicine

precipitation

[prĭ-sĭp′ĭ-tā′shən]

n.

The process of separating a substance from a solution as a solid.

precipitation in Science

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.

precipitation in Culture

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.