precipitation

American  

[pri-sip-i-tay-shuhn] / prɪˌsɪp ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• precipitations
  plural

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.

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precipitation British  

/ 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

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precipitation Scientific  

/ prĭ-sĭp′ĭ-tā′shən /

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.

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precipitation Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonprecipitation
  noun
• self-precipitation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• precipitations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of precipitation

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 see precipitate) + -iō -ion

Explanation

Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail — any kind of weather condition where something's falling from the sky. Precipitation has to do with things falling down, and not just from the sky. It's also what happens in chemical reactions when a solid settles to the bottom of a solution. If you have hard water where you live, you might find lime deposits — a flaky white crust — on your faucets and showerhead. That's caused by precipitation of the minerals in the water. The minerals settle out — they precipitate — and clog the pipes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

precipitation precipitations

"With the right conditions, cloud seeding squeeze out about an extra five to 10% of precipitation," says Jon Meyer, an assistant state climatologist with the Utah Climate Center.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

We’re having to reinforce roads to deal with extreme heat or extreme precipitation.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Some elements of the water cycle change rapidly -- like precipitation, river flow and soil moisture, responding to weather within days or weeks.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

The mountain regions of the county were likely to see more significant rainfall, while downtown Los Angeles was expected to see slightly less precipitation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Despite receiving three to five feet of precipitation in an average year, this area is prone to drought.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

It looked at both extreme events and low-onset climate change, including coastal erosion, marine flooding, sea-level rise and extremes, soil and groundwater salinization, inland flooding resulting from heavy precipitations, and permafrost thaw.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2023

They obtained a ton of pitchblende from the Austrian Government, began a long series of crushings, pulverizations, leachings, precipitations, crystallizations with apparatus at which a modern physicist would sneer.

From Time Magazine Archive

In all precipitations the reagent should be added slowly, with constant stirring, and should be hot when circumstances permit.

From An Introductory Course of Quantitative Chemical Analysis With Explanatory Notes by Henry P. Talbot

It followed that they were regions of increased heat—regions, in fact, where the temperature was too high to permit the occurrence of the precipitations to which the photosphere is due.

From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke

Last summer a fruit grower who owns fifty acres of orchards was rejoicing in one of these precipitations of moisture, when his hired man came into the house.

From Toaster's Handbook Jokes, Stories, and Quotations by C. E. (Clara Elizabeth) Fanning

Related Words

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