Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
Definition of Precipitation - 9 dictionary results
Climate Watch
Cutting water usage by 20% without requiring three-minute showers.
www.kqed.org/climatewatch
Precipitation Definition
Find Definitions For Any Word.Get Your Free Dictionary.com Toolbar.
Dictionary.com

pre⋅cip⋅i⋅ta⋅tion

  [pri-sip-i-tey-shuhn]
Use Precipitation in a Sentence
–noun
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.
a. falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, as rain, snow, or hail.
b. 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.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME < L praecipitātiōn- (s. of praecipitātiō) a falling headlong. See precipitate, -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Precipitation
pre·cip·i·ta·tion   (prĭ-sĭp'ĭ-tā'shən)   
n.  
  1. A headlong fall or rush.
  2. Abrupt or impulsive haste.
  3. A hastening or acceleration, especially one that is sudden or unexpected: He is responsible for the precipitation of his own demise.
  4. Meteorology
    1. Any form of water, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, that falls to the earth's surface.
    2. The quantity of such water falling in a specific area within a specific period.
  5. Chemistry The process of separating a substance from a solution as a solid.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Precipitation

Pre*cip`i*ta"tion\, n. (Meteor.) A deposit on the earth of hail, mist, rain, sleet, or snow; also, the quantity of water deposited.

Note: Deposits of dew, fog, and frost are not regarded by the United States Weather Bureau as precipitation. Sleet and snow are melted, and the record of precipitation shows the depth of the horizontal layers of water in hundredths of an inch or in millimeters.

Precipitation

Pre*cip`i*ta"tion\, n. [L. praecipitatio: cf. F. pr['e]cipitation.]

1. The act of precipitating, or the state of being precipitated, or thrown headlong.

In peril of precipitation From off rock Tarpeian. --Shak.

2. A falling, flowing, or rushing downward with violence and rapidity.

The hurry, precipitation, and rapid motion of the water, returning . . . towards the sea. --Woodward.

3. Great hurry; rash, tumultuous haste; impetuosity. "The precipitation of inexperience." --Rambler.

4. (Chem.) The act or process of precipitating from a solution.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : Precipitation
Spanish: precipitación,
German: der Niederschlag,
Japanese:
More Translations »

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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

precipitation 
1502, "sudden haste," from M.Fr. precipitation (15c.), from L. præcipitationem (nom. præcipitatio) "act or fact of falling headlong, haste," from præcipitare "fall, be hasty," from præceps "steep" (see precipice). Meaning "act of falling from a height" is attested from 1612. Meteorological sense of "rain, snow, dew, etc." is from 1675. Precipitous "headlong" is from 1646; precipitate (adj.) "hasty" is attested from 1654.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Main Entry: pre·cip·i·ta·tion
Pronunciation: pri-"sip-&-'tA-sh&n
Function: noun
1 a : the process of forming aprecipitate from a solution b : the process of precipitating or removing solid or liquid particles from a smoke or gas by electrical means
2 : PRECIPITATE
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

precipitation pre·cip·i·ta·tion (prĭ-sĭp'ĭ-tā'shən)
n.
The process of separating a substance from a solution as a solid.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
precipitation   (prĭ-sĭp'ĭ-tā'shən)  Pronunciation Key 
  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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Precipitation on Thesaurus | Reference
Climate Watch
Cutting water usage by 20% without requiring three-minute showers.
www.kqed.org/climatewatch