English Explanatory Dictionary

precipitant

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration; hasty, impulsive, rash.
  2. Of a fall: straight downwards; headlong.
  3. Acting, happening, or moving quickly; fast, rapid, swift; also, abrupt, sudden, unexpected.
  4. That causes precipitation (“formation of a heavier solid in a lighter liquid as a result of a chemical reaction”).
adv
  1. Synonym of precipitantly (“in a precipitant or headlong manner; with foolish or rash haste”).
noun
  1. Something which causes or hastens the occurrence of an act or event; specifically (chiefly psychology), something which brings about a mental or physiological condition.
  2. A substance that, when added to a solution, causes a dissolved substance to form a precipitate.

Pronunciation

/prɪˈsɪpɪt(ə)nt/ /priˈsɪpətənt/ /prə-/ [-ɾənt] En-us-precipitant.oga

Word forms

precipitant more precipitant most precipitant precipitants

Etymology

The adjective is borrowed from Middle French précipitant, Old French precipitant (“acting hastily, hasty, rash; acting, happening, or moving rapidly; pressing”) (modern French précipitant), and from their etymon Late Latin praecipitans (“hasty, rash”), an adjective use of Latin praecipitāns, the present participle of praecipitō (“to cast down; to throw headlong”), from praeceps (“head first, headlong; (figurative) hasty, rash”) (from prae (“before; in front”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- (“before; in front”)) + -ceps (suffix meaning ‘having a head with specified characteristics’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“a head”))). The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.

Synonyms

heedless hotheaded impetuous daring devil-may-care headstrong imprudent impulsive precipitant precipitate precipitous quick-and-dirty rash reckless sudden temeritous cursory express fast expeditious feverish fleet fleeting greased lightning hasty hectic hectical hyperactive immediate lightning fast nimble post haste quick quick as a flash quicksome rapid speedful speedy spit-spot swift tripsome zippy abrupt spontaneous subitaneous suddent precipitantly

Antonyms

crawling slack slow-moving languid languorous draggy creeping dreich gastropodous glacial heavy-footed inching inert labored leaden lead-footed lethargic low-speed lumbering plodding pokey ponderous slothlike slow slow as a snail slow as Christmas slow as molasses slow as molasses in January slowfooted sluggish stately steady subglacial sullen tardigrade tedious testudineous torpid turtleish turtlesque unspeedy

Related words

precipice precipitate precipitated precipitately precipitateness precipitation precipitous precipitously precipitousness

Derived words

precipitance precipitancy precipitantly precipitantness coprecipitant immunoprecipitant
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