pre·cip·i·tous

[pri-sip-i-tuhs]
adjective
1.
of the nature of or characterized by precipices: a precipitous wall of rock.
2.
extremely or impassably steep: precipitous mountain trails.

Origin:
1640–50; < obsolete French précipiteux; see precipitate, -ous

pre·cip·i·tous·ly, adverb
pre·cip·i·tous·ness, noun
un·pre·cip·i·tous, adjective
un·pre·cip·i·tous·ly, adverb
un·pre·cip·i·tous·ness, noun

precipitate, precipitous.


2. abrupt, sheer, perpendicular.


1, 2. flat, level.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To precipitous
00:10
Precipitous is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Collins
World English Dictionary
precipitous (prɪˈsɪpɪtəs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  resembling a precipice or characterized by precipices
2.  very steep
3.  hasty or precipitate
 
usage  The use of precipitous to mean hasty is thought by some people to be incorrect
 
pre'cipitously
 
adv
 
pre'cipitousness
 
n

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

precipitous
1640s, "rash, headlong," from obs. Fr. precipiteux (16c.), from V.L. *praecipitosus, from praecipitare (see precipitation). Precipitate (adj.) "hasty" is attested from 1650s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They soon quitted the little valley, and involved themselves among hills as
  steep as they could be without being precipitous.
The researchers say they were surprised at how quick and precipitous was the
  fall in resistance.
The series examined the reasons for Detroit's precipitous decline.
There is only what seems to me a rather low protective barrier given the
  precipitous drop into the deep valleys below.
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