verb, -tat⋅ed, -tat⋅ing, adjective, noun | 1. | to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly: to precipitate an international crisis. |
| 2. | to cast down headlong; fling or hurl down. |
| 3. | to cast, plunge, or send, esp. violently or abruptly: He precipitated himself into the struggle. |
| 4. | Chemistry. to separate (a substance) in solid form from a solution, as by means of a reagent. |
| 5. | Meteorology. to fall to the earth's surface as a condensed form of water; to rain, snow, hail, drizzle, etc. |
| 6. | to separate from a solution as a precipitate. |
| 7. | to be cast or thrown down headlong. |
| 8. | headlong: a precipitate fall down the stairs. |
| 9. | rushing headlong or rapidly onward. |
| 10. | proceeding rapidly or with great haste: a precipitate retreat. |
| 11. | exceedingly sudden or abrupt: a precipitate stop; a precipitate decision. |
| 12. | done or made without sufficient deliberation; overhasty; rash: a precipitate marriage. |
| 13. | Chemistry. a substance precipitated from a solution. |
| 14. | moisture condensed in the form of rain, snow, etc. |

pre·cip·i·tate (prĭ-sĭp'ĭ-tāt') v. pre·cip·i·tat·ed, pre·cip·i·tat·ing, pre·cip·i·tates v. tr.
[Latin praecipitāre, praecipitāt-, to throw headlong, from praeceps, praecipit-, headlong : prae-, pre- + caput, capit-, head; see kaput- in Indo-European roots.] pre·cip'i·tate·ly (-tĭt-lē) adv., pre·cip'i·tate·ness n., pre·cip'i·ta'tive adj., pre·cip'i·ta'tor n. Usage Note: The adjective precipitate and the adverb precipitately were once applied to physical steepness but are now used primarily of rash, headlong actions: Their precipitate entry into the foreign markets led to disaster. He withdrew precipitately from the race. Precipitous currently means "steep" in both literal and figurative senses: the precipitous rapids of the upper river; a precipitous drop in commodity prices. But precipitous and precipitously are also frequently used to mean "abrupt, hasty," which takes them into territory that would ordinarily belong to precipitate and precipitately: their precipitous decision to leave. This usage is a natural extension of the use of precipitous to describe a rise or fall in a quantity over time: a precipitous increase in reports of measles is also an abrupt or sudden event. Though this extended use of precipitous is well attested in the work of reputable writers, it is still widely regarded as an error. |
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.
precipitate pre·cip·i·tate (prĭ-sĭp'ĭ-tāt', -tĭt)
n.
A solid or solid phase separated from a solution.
A punctate opacity on the posterior surface of the cornea developing from inflammatory cells in the vitreous body. Also called punctate keratitis.
To cause a solid substance to be separated from a solution.
To be separated from a solution as a solid.