precipitant, precipitate, precipitous

precipitant, precipitate, precipitous
   All three come from the same root, the Latin praecipitare ("to throw headlong"). Precipitous means very steep: cliff faces are precipitous. Precipitant and precipitate both indicate a headlong rush and are almost indistinguishable in meaning, but precipitant tends to emphasize the abruptness of the rush and precipitate the rashness of it. The most common error is to use precipitous to describe actions ("his precipitous departure from the Cabinet"). Precipitous can describe only physical characteristics.

Dictionary of troublesome word. . 2013.

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  • precipitant, precipitate, precipitous —    All three come from the same root, the Latin praecipitare ( to throw headlong ). Precipitous means very steep: cliff faces are precipitous. Precipitant and precipitate both indicate a headlong rush and are almost indistinguishable in meaning,… …   Dictionary of troublesome word

  • precipitant, precipitate, precipitous —    All three come from the same root, the Latin praecipitare ( to throw headlong ). Precipitous means very steep: cliff faces are precipitous. Precipitant and precipitate both indicate a headlong rush and are almost indistinguishable in meaning,… …   Dictionary of troublesome word

  • precipitant —  , precipitate, precipitous  All three come from the same root, the Latin praecipitare ( to throw headlong ). Precipitous means very steep: cliff faces are precipitous. Precipitant and precipitate both indicate a headlong rush and are almost… …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • precipitant — Synonyms and related words: abrupt, accident prone, breakneck, breathless, careless, desperate, devil may care, electrifying, furious, harum scarum, hasty, headlong, hotheaded, hurried, impetuous, impulsive, mad, nerve shattering, overeager,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • precipitate — Synonyms and related words: a bit previous, abrupt, accelerate, accident prone, ad lib, advance, advanced, aftereffect, aftermath, agile, alluvion, alluvium, arduous, ash, blow down, blow over, bowl down, bowl over, breakneck, breathless, bring… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • precipitous — Synonyms and related words: abrupt, accident prone, acclivitous, arduous, bluff, bold, breakneck, breathless, careless, declivitous, desperate, devil may care, electrifying, furious, harum scarum, hasty, headlong, hotheaded, hurried, impetuous,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • precipitous — precipitate [v] hurry, speed accelerate, advance, bring on, cast, discharge, dispatch, expedite, fling, further, hasten, hurl, launch, let fly, press, push forward, quicken, send forth, speed up, throw, trigger; concepts 152,242,704 Ant. check,… …   New thesaurus

  • precipitate — [v] hurry, speed accelerate, advance, bring on, cast, discharge, dispatch, expedite, fling, further, hasten, hurl, launch, let fly, press, push forward, quicken, send forth, speed up, throw, trigger; concepts 152,242,704 Ant. check, slow, wait… …   New thesaurus

  • precipitate — I adjective abrupt, breakneck, foolhardy, harebrained, hasty, headlong, headstrong, heady, hellbent, hot headed, hurried, immediate, impetuous, imprudent, impulsive, inconsultus, indiscreet, injudicious, madcap, overconfident, overly hasty,… …   Law dictionary

  • precipitant — 1. adjective a) That falls headlong, or causes a headlong fall b) Rash or impulsive 2. noun A substance that forms a precipitate when added to a solution See Also: precipice, pr …   Wiktionary

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