precipitate

verb pre·cip·i·tate \ pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtāt \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of precipitate

precipitated; precipitating

transitive verb

1 a : to throw violently : hurl

the quandaries into which the release of nuclear energy has precipitated mankind
—A. B. Arons

b : to throw down

2 : to bring about especially abruptly

precipitate a scandal that would end with his expulsion
—John Cheever

3 a : to cause to separate from solution or suspension

b : to cause (vapor) to condense and fall or deposit

intransitive verb

1 a : to fall headlong

b : to fall or come suddenly into some condition

2 : to move or act with violent or unwise speed

3 a : to separate from solution or suspension

b : to condense from a vapor and fall as rain or snow

—

precipitative

play \pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtā-tiv\ adjective

—

precipitator

play \pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtā-tər\ noun

See precipitate defined for English-language learners

See precipitate defined for kids

precipitate was our Word of the Day on 10/28/2011. Hear the podcast!

Examples of precipitate in a Sentence

When Achilles is informed by his mother, the sea-goddess Thetis, that vanquishing Hector on the battlefield will precipitate his own demise, he unhesitatingly opts for the gusto. —Mark Leyner, Time, 13 Nov. 2000
The vast room darkens. The videotape … begins on two identical screens set high above the nave. The soaring lyrics of LeeAnn Rimes's "How Do I Live (Without You)" precipitate a collective tension and welling, repressed tearfulness. —Jayne Anne Phillips, Harper's, November 1998
Her death precipitated a family crisis.
The budget problem was precipitated by many unexpected costs.
minerals that precipitate from seawater

Recent Examples of precipitate from the Web

The more calcium, the more plaque a person is likely to have and the greater the risk of a blockage that can precipitate a heart attack if a piece of plaque breaks loose.

— jane e. brody, New York Times, "One More Heart Test to Consider: A Calcium Scan," 2 Apr. 2018
The next best thing is to destroy his credibility in the public eye, or at least among fellow Republicans, in anticipation of charges that could precipitate his impeachment if Democrats retake the House next year.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Is the Anti-Mueller Smear Campaign a Coordinated Attack?," 28 Mar. 2018
According to surveys one of us (Mueller) conducted of Niamey residents in 2011, pocketbook concerns were the most salient grievances in uprisings that precipitated a 2010 coup against President Mamadou Tandja.

— lisa mueller, Washington Post, "Niger’s protests are ramping up. Here’s why.," 26 Mar. 2018
Or anarchy—the ongoing civil war in Syria has precipitated the greatest humanitarian crisis in decades.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Facebook Has a Genocide Problem," 15 Mar. 2018
One explanation for this link is that acne can cause stress and serious self-esteem issues that can precipitate depression, especially in those who are already at risk for developing it, Lewison says.

— carolyn l. todd, SELF, "'Bachelor' Star Bekah Martinez Says Hearing Unsolicited Advice About Her Severe Acne Is 'Demoralizing'," 23 Feb. 2018
What followed was the kind of juncture that often precipitates the end of a career.

— david murphy, Philly.com, "From top-tier closer to roster hopeful: K-Rod looks to the Phillies for rebirth | David Murphy," 14 Feb. 2018
The aggressive response by police is all the more puzzling, Austin said, because the crash that precipitated the chase was little more than a fender-bender in which Ghaisar's car was rear-ended by an Uber driver, according to an accident report.

— associated press, Houston Chronicle, "Video: Police fire up to 9 times, killing stopped motorist," 24 Jan. 2018
Some researchers, however, believe that autistic traits, in conjunction with psychotic symptoms, can contribute to the disinhibition that precipitates predatory aggression.

— james d. walsh, Daily Intelligencer, "A Son Took His Mother Out Fishing. She Never Came Back.," 23 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'precipitate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of precipitate

Latin praecipitatus, past participle of praecipitare, from praecipit-, praeceps — see precipice

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1528

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

precipitate Synonyms

Phrases

rain cats and dogs;

precipitate

noun pre·cip·i·tate \ pri-ˈsi-pə-tət , -ˌtāt \

Definition of precipitate

1 : a substance separated from a solution or suspension by chemical or physical change usually as an insoluble amorphous or crystalline solid

2 : a product, result, or outcome of some process or action

See precipitate defined for English-language learners

Examples of precipitate in a Sentence

Yet trained, and by nature inclined, to persevere through the stenches, messes, explosions and disasters of a laboratory, he fixed his gaze upon an unlikely precipitate: human resilience, a sort of radioactive trace element. —Richard Eder, New York Times Book Review, 16 June 2002
the exodus from the cities was an unexpected precipitate of the automobile, which effectively shrank distances
the chemist filtered out the precipitate from the solution

Recent Examples of precipitate from the Web

Although, the dusty precipitate may be melting away with the morning sun, the snow may have left a lasting impression on our local record books.

— jared boyd, AL.com, "How weird is snow in Mobile? Well, Friday night's snow set a record," 9 Dec. 2017

Origin and Etymology of precipitate

New Latin praecipitatum, from Latin, neuter of praecipitatus — see ¹precipitate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1594

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

precipitate Synonyms

Synonyms

deposit, deposition, dregs, grounds, sediment, settlings;

Related Words

lees;

ooze, silt, sludge;

dross, slag, waste;

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

precipitate

adjective pre·cip·i·tate \ pri-ˈsi-pə-tət \

Definition of precipitate

1 a : falling, flowing, or rushing with steep descent

b : precipitous, steep

2 : exhibiting violent or unwise speed

—

precipitately

adverb

—

precipitateness

noun

See precipitate defined for English-language learners

Examples of precipitate in a Sentence

The precipitate decline in support for Aristide has probably less to do with Haiti's political crisis than with the continuous and unrelenting economic battering: the Haitian gourde, which a year ago was trading at 27 to the dollar, by late February was down to 55 to the dollar. —Peter Dailey, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002
Almost at once I began to remember why drive-ins went into such a precipitate decline. To begin with, it is not remotely comfortable to sit in a car to watch a movie. —Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999
Assuming that the offering goes ahead—and only a precipitate slide in the stock market will stop it—a big slice of Wall Street history will disappear. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 1999
the army's precipitate withdrawal from the field of battle

Recent Examples of precipitate from the Web

This is all to the good, and better than a precipitate total withdrawal.

— the editors, National Review, "Trump’s Afghan Escalation," 22 Aug. 2017

Did You Know?

Many people, including usage commentators, are insistent about keeping the adjectives "precipitate" and "precipitous" distinct. "Precipitate," they say, means "headlong" or "impetuous"; "precipitous" means only "steep." And, indeed, "precipitate" is used mostly in the "headlong" sense, whereas "precipitous" usually means "steep." But one shouldn't be too hasty about insisting on the distinction. The truth is that "precipitate" and "precipitous" have had a tendency to overlap for centuries. Lexicographer Samuel Johnson, in his dictionary of 1755, defined "precipitate" as "steeply falling," "headlong," and "hasty," while "precipitous" was "headlong; steep," and "hasty." Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary included much the same definitions. The words' etymologies overlap as well. Both ultimately come from Latin praeceps, which means "headlong."

Origin and Etymology of precipitate

see ¹precipitate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1615

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

precipitate Synonyms

Synonyms

cursory, flying, hasty, headlong, helter-skelter, hurried, overhasty, pell-mell, precipitous, rash, rushed;

Antonyms

deliberate, unhurried, unrushed;

Near Antonyms

calculated, calculating, measured;

circumspect, foresighted, forethoughtful;

drawn-out, extended, long-term, prolonged;

faltering, hesitant, hesitating, tentative;

dallying, dawdling, laggard, leisurely, poky (or pokey), shilly-shallying, slow;

Related Words

breakneck, breathtaking;

headstrong, heady, hotheaded, impatient, impetuous, impulsive, madcap, reckless, unadvised;

quick, rapid, speedy, swift;

horseback, impromptu, makeshift, offhand, offhanded, off-the-cuff, rush, slapdash, snap, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment;

abrupt, sudden;

Synonym Discussion of precipitate

precipitate, headlong, abrupt, impetuous, sudden mean showing undue haste or unexpectedness. precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action.

- the army's precipitate withdrawal

headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought.

- a headlong flight from arrest

abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony.

- an abrupt refusal

impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness.

- an impetuous lover proposing marriage

sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action.

- flew into a sudden rage

PRECIPITATE Defined for English Language Learners

precipitate

verb

Definition of precipitate for English Language Learners

: to cause (something) to happen quickly or suddenly
: to become separated from a liquid especially by a chemical process
: to cause (something solid) to become separated from a liquid especially by a chemical process

precipitate

noun

Definition of precipitate for English Language Learners

: a solid substance that is separated from a liquid especially by a chemical process

precipitate

adjective

Definition of precipitate for English Language Learners

: happening very quickly or too quickly without enough thought or planning

PRECIPITATE Defined for Kids

precipitate

verb pre·cip·i·tate \ pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtāt \

Definition of precipitate for Students

precipitated; precipitating

1 : to cause to happen suddenly or unexpectedly

The misunderstanding precipitated a quarrel.

2 : to change from a vapor to a liquid or solid and fall as rain or snow

3 : to separate from a solution

The procedure called for precipitating salt from seawater.

Medical Dictionary

precipitate

verb pre·cip·i·tate \ pri-ˈsip-ə-ˌtāt \

medical Definition of precipitate

precipitated; precipitating

transitive verb

1 : to bring about especially abruptly

2 a : to cause to separate from solution or suspension

b : to cause (vapor) to condense and fall or deposit

intransitive verb

1 : to fall or come suddenly into some condition

2 : to separate from solution or suspension

precipitate

noun pre·cip·i·tate \ pri-ˈsip-ət-ət, -ə-ˌtāt \

medical Definition of precipitate

: a substance separated from a solution or suspension by chemical or physical change usually as an insoluble amorphous or crystalline solid

Learn More about precipitate

See words that rhyme with precipitate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for precipitate Spanish Central: Translation of precipitate Nglish: Translation of precipitate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of precipitate for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about precipitate

Seen and Heard

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precipitate

Definition of precipitate

precipitative

precipitator

precipitate was our Word of the Day on 10/28/2011. Hear the podcast!

Examples of precipitate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of precipitate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of precipitate

precipitate Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

precipitate

Definition of precipitate

Examples of precipitate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of precipitate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of precipitate

precipitate Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

precipitate

Definition of precipitate

precipitately

precipitateness

Examples of precipitate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of precipitate from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of precipitate

precipitate Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of precipitate

PRECIPITATE Defined for English Language Learners

precipitate

Definition of precipitate for English Language Learners

precipitate

Definition of precipitate for English Language Learners

precipitate

Definition of precipitate for English Language Learners

PRECIPITATE Defined for Kids

precipitate

Definition of precipitate for Students

Medical Dictionary

precipitate

medical Definition of precipitate

precipitate

medical Definition of precipitate

Learn More about precipitate

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