prec·i·pice

[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.

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

prec·i·piced, adjective
un·prec·i·piced, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To precipice
00:10
Precipice is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Collins
World English Dictionary
precipice (ˈprɛsɪpɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a.  the steep sheer face of a cliff or crag
 b.  the cliff or crag itself
2.  a precarious situation
 
[C16: from Latin praecipitium steep place, from praeceps headlong]
 
'precipiced
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

precipice
1598, "fall to great depth," from Fr. précipice, from L. præcipitium "a steep place," lit. "a fall or leap," from præceps (gen. præcipitis) "steep, headlong, headfirst," from præ- "forth" + caput "head" (see head). Meaning "steep face of rock" is recorded from 1632.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
In some places it cuts across the face of a precipice.
Academic journals are another publishing niche, he notes, widely recognized as
  on the precipice of major transformation.
The precipice that you are leaning over will welcome you in while licking it's
  lips in anticipation.
You guys are on the precipice of insanity.
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