precipice

[ pres-uh-pis ]

noun

1. a cliff with a vertical, nearly vertical, or overhanging face.
2. a situation of great peril:

   on the precipice of war.

precipice

/ ˈprɛsɪpɪs /

noun

1. 1. the steep sheer face of a cliff or crag
   2. the cliff or crag itself
2. a precarious situation

Derived Forms

• ˈprecipiced, adjective

Other Words From

• preci·piced adjective
• un·preci·piced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of precipice¹

1590–1600; < Middle French < Latin praecipitium steep place, equivalent to praecipit- (stem of praeceps ) steep, headlong ( prae- pre- + -cipit-, combining form of caput head; caput ) + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of precipice¹

C16: from Latin praecipitium steep place, from praeceps headlong

Example Sentences

On the precipice of turning 40, somewhere halfway through this marathon of a life, I want to exhume what I feel I’ve abandoned and lost.

From Los Angeles Times

Or are we on the precipice of failing ourselves by reelecting this guy, despite the hard work of decent, well-meaning public officials and line attorneys who manage the complex, grinding machinery of American law?

From Slate

I’ve ping-ponged between these two perspectives, but on the eve of this election, I think I figured out the answer: Over and over again the systems tasked with protecting the public from a dangerous criminal like Donald Trump opted for the route of appeasement, which is a big reason we are on the precipice of reelecting a man who threatens to end the system of democracy that Americans have known for nearly 60 years.

From Slate

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Yale history professor Timothy Snyder to talk about his new book “On Freedom” and to have the audacity to re-imagine freedom on the precipice of an election that could turn the United States hard right into tyranny.

From Slate

After spending their pregame interview sessions talking about how it felt to be on the precipice of the World Series, the Dodgers quickly fell into a loud and strange abyss that was an outlier, not a trend.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bluff
• cliff
• crag