precipitation

[ pri-sip-i-tey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for precipitation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of precipitating; state of being precipitated.

  2. a casting down or falling headlong.

  1. a hastening or hurrying in movement, procedure, or action.

  2. sudden haste.

  3. unwise or rash rapidity.

  4. Meteorology.

    • falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, as rain, snow, or hail.

    • 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.

  5. Chemistry, Physics. the precipitating of a substance from a solution.

Origin of precipitation

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin praecipitātiōn-, stem of praecipitātiō “a casting down headlong,” equivalent to praecipitāt(us) “cast down headlong” (past participle of praecipitāre see precipitate ) + -iō -ion

Other words from precipitation

  • non·pre·cip·i·ta·tion, noun
  • self-pre·cip·i·ta·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for precipitation

precipitation

/ (prɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃən) /


noun
  1. meteorol

    • rain, snow, sleet, dew, etc, formed by condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere

    • the deposition of these on the earth's surface

    • the amount precipitated

  2. the production or formation of a chemical precipitate

  1. the act of precipitating or the state of being precipitated

  2. rash or undue haste

  3. spiritualism the appearance of a spirit in bodily form; materialization

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for precipitation

precipitation

[ prĭ-sĭp′ĭ-tāshən ]


  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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for precipitation

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 New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.