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precipice

 - 3 dictionary results

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.
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Origin:
1590–1600; < MF < L praecipitium steep place, equiv. to praecipit- (s. of praeceps) steep, headlong (prae- pre- + -cipit-, comb.form of caput head; see caput ) + -ium -ium

Related forms:
prec⋅i⋅piced, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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prec·i·pice   (prěs'ə-pĭs)   
n.  

  1. An overhanging or extremely steep mass of rock, such as a crag or the face of a cliff.

  2. The brink of a dangerous or disastrous situation: on the precipice of defeat.


[French précipice, from Latin praecipitium, from praeceps, praecipit-, headlong; see precipitate.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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