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Added 9 October 2026

precipitant

/prɪˈsɪpɪt(ə)nt/ adjective

Latin root: praecipitans Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about precipitant at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration; hasty, impulsive, rash.
Of a fall: straight downwards; headlong.
Acting, happening, or moving quickly; fast, rapid, swift; also, abrupt, sudden, unexpected.
:

adverb

Synonym of precipitantly (“in a precipitant or headlong manner; with foolish or rash haste”).

noun

Something which causes or hastens the occurrence of an act or event; specifically , something which brings about a mental or physiological condition.
A substance that, when added to a solution, causes a dissolved substance to form a precipitate.

Origin

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”))).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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