precipitate
to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly: to precipitate an international crisis.
to cast down headlong; fling or hurl down.
to cast, plunge, or send, especially violently or abruptly: He precipitated himself into the struggle.
Chemistry. to separate (a substance) in solid form from a solution, as by means of a reagent.
Meteorology. to fall to the earth's surface as a condensed form of water; to rain, snow, hail, drizzle, etc.
to separate from a solution as a precipitate.
to be cast or thrown down headlong.
headlong: a precipitate fall down the stairs.
rushing headlong or rapidly onward.
proceeding rapidly or with great haste: a precipitate retreat.
exceedingly sudden or abrupt: a precipitate stop; a precipitate decision.
done or made without sufficient deliberation; overhasty; rash: a precipitate marriage.
Chemistry. a substance precipitated from a solution.
moisture condensed in the form of rain, snow, etc.
Origin of precipitate
1word story For precipitate
The chemical sense of precipitate, “to separate (a substance) in solid form from a solution,” first appears in New Latin praecipitāre at the end of the 15th century, and is first recorded in English in the 17th century. The related meteorological sense “to fall to earth as rain, snow, hail, or drizzle” dates from the end of the 18th century.
Other words for precipitate
Opposites for precipitate
Other words from precipitate
- pre·cip·i·tate·ly, adverb
- pre·cip·i·tate·ness, noun
- pre·cip·i·ta·tive, adjective
- pre·cip·i·ta·tor, noun
- non·pre·cip·i·ta·tive, adjective
- un·pre·cip·i·tate, adjective
- un·pre·cip·i·tate·ly, adverb
- un·pre·cip·i·tate·ness, noun
- un·pre·cip·i·ta·tive, adjective
- un·pre·cip·i·ta·tive·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with precipitate
- precipitate , precipitous
Words Nearby precipitate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use precipitate in a sentence
Social media has precipitated new types of totemism — the work of what being a fan means has been questioned, particularly after a death.
After the untimely deaths of young rappers, fans are determined to continue their legacy | Ilana Kaplan | December 4, 2020 | Washington PostSome changes were precipitated by what happened in 2016, while others were driven by the challenges facing the polling industry, such as low response rates to phone calls and the greater cost of high-quality polling.
What Pollsters Have Changed Since 2016 — And What Still Worries Them About 2020 | Geoffrey Skelley (geoffrey.skelley@abc.com) | October 13, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightAs I learned about the attack on Beirut, and the Hezbollah-led border raid that precipitated it, my stomach turned.
How Biking Across America Formed an Unlikely Friendship | Raffi Joe Wartanian | October 8, 2020 | Outside OnlineThe China debacle directly “precipitated” the current project, says Kay Davies, a geneticist at Oxford University and co-chair of the new panel.
The “staged rollout” of gene-modified babies could start with sickle-cell disease | Amy Nordrum | September 3, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewAs the water cools, then, the sugar slowly precipitates out — becoming solid again.
Rock Candy Science 2: No such thing as too much sugar | Bethany Brookshire | April 30, 2020 | Science News For Students
The Saur (April) Revolution would precipitate an Afghan conflict that continues to this day.
The Warlord Who Defines Afghanistan: An Excerpt From Bruce Riedel’s ’What We Won’ | Bruce Riedel | July 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTUnlike some of her peers, she is not motivated by an ideological zeal to precipitate Israel's destruction.
Continued temporizing could destroy the euro and precipitate another financial catastrophe.
If you have, then you probably also know that some worry that such a move would precipitate a constitutional crisis.
More importantly even than that, the mere idea of war with Syria—of anything that could remotely precipitate war—is madness.
Results are in terms of bulk of precipitate, which must not be confused with percentage by weight.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddShe felt that her summary was precipitate, and drawing herself up defiantly looked hard at Mrs. Leslie.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonStrong gold & heavy precipitate in test, silver test poor but on filtering showed like white of egg in tube (unusual).
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerSome slight injury in the abdomen, as from a blow or a kick, may precipitate an attack in predisposed individuals.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin MalleyI would leave no room for the torturing thought that had I been less precipitate she would have been more kindly.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter
British Dictionary definitions for precipitate
(tr) to cause to happen too soon or sooner than expected; bring on
to throw or fall from or as from a height
to cause (moisture) to condense and fall as snow, rain, etc, or (of moisture, rain, etc) to condense and fall thus
chem to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which a dissolved substance separates from solution as a fine suspension of solid particles
rushing ahead
done rashly or with undue haste
sudden and brief
chem a precipitated solid in its suspended form or after settling or filtering
Origin of precipitate
1Derived forms of precipitate
- precipitable, adjective
- precipitability, noun
- precipitately, adverb
- precipitateness, noun
- precipitative, adjective
- precipitator, noun
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 precipitate
To fall from the atmosphere as rain, snow, or another form of precipitation.
To separate as a solid from a solution in chemical precipitation.
A solid material precipitated from a solution.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for precipitate
[ (pri-sip-uh-tayt, pri-sip-uh-tuht) ]
In chemistry, a solid material that is formed in a solution by chemical reactions and settles to the bottom of the container in which the reaction takes place. A precipitate may also be a substance removed from another by an artificial filter.
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.
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