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Webster 1913 Edition

Precipitate

Pre-cip′i-tate

,
Adj.
[L.
praecipitatus
, p. p. of
praecipitare
to precipitate, fr.
praeceps
headlong. See
Precipice
.]
1.
Overhasty; rash;
as, the king was too
precipitate
in declaring war
.
Clarendon.
2.
Lacking due deliberation or care; hurried; said or done before the time;
as, a
precipitate
measure
.
“The rapidity of our too precipitate course.”
Landor.
3.
Falling, flowing, or rushing, with steep descent; headlong.
Precipitate
the furious torrent flows.
Prior.
4.
Ending quickly in death; brief and fatal;
as, a
precipitate
case of disease
.
[Obs.]
Arbuthnot.

Pre-cip′i-tate

,
Noun.
[NL.
praecipitatum
: cf. F.
précipité
.]
(Chem.)
An insoluble substance separated from a solution in a concrete state by the action of some reagent added to the solution, or of some force, such as heat or cold. The precipitate may fall to the bottom (whence the name), may be diffused through the solution, or may float at or near the surface.
Red precipitate
(Old. Chem)
,
mercuric oxide (
HgO
) a heavy red crystalline powder obtained by heating mercuric nitrate, or by heating mercury in the air. Prepared in the latter manner, it was the
precipitate per se
of the alchemists.
–
White precipitate
(Old Chem.)
(a)
A heavy white amorphous powder (
NH2.HgCl
) obtained by adding ammonia to a solution of mercuric chloride or corrosive sublimate; – formerly called also
infusible white precipitate
, and now
amido-mercuric chloride
.
(b)
A white crystalline substance obtained by adding a solution of corrosive sublimate to a solution of sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride); – formerly called also
fusible white precipitate
.

Pre-cip′i-tate

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Precipitated
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Precipitating
.]
1.
To throw headlong; to cast down from a precipice or height.
She and her horse had been
precipitated
to the pebbled region of the river.
W. Irving.
2.
To urge or press on with eager haste or violence; to cause to happen, or come to a crisis, suddenly or too soon;
as,
precipitate
a journey, or a conflict
.
Back to his sight
precipitates
her steps.
Glover.
If they be daring, it may
precipitate
their designs, and prove dangerous.
Bacon.
3.
(Chem.)
To separate from a solution, or other medium, in the form of a precipitate;
as, water
precipitates
camphor when in solution with alcohol
.
The light vapor of the preceding evening had been
precipitated
by the cold.
W. Irving.

Pre-cip′i-tate

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To dash or fall headlong.
[R.]
So many fathom down
precipitating
.
Shakespeare
2.
To hasten without preparation.
[R.]
3.
(Chem.)
To separate from a solution as a precipitate. See
Precipitate
,
Noun.

Webster 1828 Edition

Precipitate

PRECIP'ITATE

,
Verb.
T.
[L. proecipito, from proeceps, headlong. See Precipice.]
1.
To throw headlong; as, he precipitated himself from a rock.
2.
To urge or press with eagerness or violence; as, to precipitate a flight.
3.
To hasten.
Short intermittent and swift recurrent pains do precipitate patients into consumptions.
4.
To hurry blindly or rashly.
If they be daring, it may precipitate their designs and prove dangerous.
5.
To throw to the bottom of a vessel; as a substance in solution.
All metals may be precipitated by alkaline salts.

PRECIP'ITATE

,
Verb.
I.
To fall headlong.
1.
To fall to the bottom of a vessel, as sediment, or any substance in solution.
2.
To hasten without preparation.

PRECIP'ITATE

,
Adj.
Falling, flowing or rushing with steep descent.
Precipitate the furious torrent flows.
1.
Headlong; over hasty; rashly hasty; as, the king was too precipitate in declaring war.
2.
Adopted with haste or without due deliberation; hasty; as a precipitate measure.
3.
Hasty; violent; terminating speedily in death; as a precipitate case of disease.

PRECIP'ITATE

,
Noun.
A substance which, having been dissolved, is again separated from its solvent and thrown to the bottom of the vessel by pouring another liquor upon it.
Precipitate per se,
Red precipitate, the red oxyd or peroxyd of mercury.

Definition 2024

precipitate

precipitate

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Verb:

Adjective:

common but often proscribed:

Verb

precipitate ‎(third-person singular simple present precipitates, present participle precipitating, simple past and past participle precipitated)

  1. (transitive) To make something happen suddenly and quickly; hasten.
    to precipitate a journey, or a conflict
    • Glover
      Back to his sight precipitates her steps.
    • Francis Bacon
      If they be daring, it may precipitate their designs, and prove dangerous.
  2. (transitive) To throw an object or person from a great height.
    • Washington Irving
      She and her horse had been precipitated to the pebbled region of the river.
  3. (transitive) To send violently into a certain state or condition.
  4. (intransitive, chemistry) To come out of a liquid solution into solid form.
    Adding the acid will cause the salt to precipitate.
  5. (transitive, chemistry) To separate a substance out of a liquid solution into solid form.
  6. (intransitive, meteorology) To have water in the air fall to the ground, for example as rain, snow, sleet, or hail; be deposited as condensed droplets.
    It will precipitate tomorrow, but we don't know whether as rain or snow.
  7. (transitive) To cause (water in the air) to condense or fall to the ground.
    • Washington Irving
      The light vapour of the preceding evening had been precipitated by the cold.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Adjective

precipitate ‎(comparative more precipitate, superlative most precipitate)

  1. headlong; falling steeply or vertically.
    • Prior
      Precipitate the furious torrent flows.
  2. Very steep; precipitous.
  3. With a hasty impulse; hurried; headstrong.
  4. Moving with excessive speed or haste.
    The king was too precipitate in declaring war.
    a precipitate case of disease
  5. Performed very rapidly or abruptly.
Translations
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From New Latin praecipitatum

Pronunciation

Noun

precipitate ‎(plural precipitates)

  1. A product resulting from a process, event, or course of action.
  2. (chemistry) A solid that exits the liquid phase of a solution.
Translations

Related terms

Anagrams

Italian

Adjective

precipitate f pl

  1. feminine plural of precipitato

Verb

precipitate

  1. second-person plural present of precipitare
  2. second-person plural imperative of precipitare
  3. feminine plural past participle of precipitare

Etymology

From Latin praecipitatus, from Latin praecipitō ‎(“throw down, hurl down, throw headlong”), from praeceps ‎(“head foremost, headlong”), from prae ‎(“before”) + caput ‎(“head”).

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