precipitate Hear it!

precipitate Definition

pre·cipi·tate (prē sip′ə tāt′, pri-; foradj. &n., --tit, --tāt′)

transitive verb -·tat′ed, -·tat′·ing

  1. to throw headlong; hurl downward
  2. to cause to happen before expected, warranted, needed, or desired; bring on; hasten to precipitate a crisis
  3. Chem.
    1. to cause (a slightly soluble substance) to become insoluble, as by heat or by a chemical reagent, and separate out from a solution
    2. to cause the separation of a suspended liquid or solid from a gas
  4. Meteorol. to condense (water vapor) and cause to fall to the ground as rain, snow, sleet, etc.

Etymology: < L praecipitatus, pp. of praecipitare < praeceps: see precipice

intransitive verb

  1. Chem. to be precipitated
  2. Meteorol. to condense and fall to the ground as rain, snow, sleet, etc.

adjective

  1. falling steeply, rushing headlong, flowing swiftly, etc.
  2. acting, happening, or done very hastily or rashly; impetuous; headstrong
  3. very sudden, unexpected, or abrupt

Etymology: L praecipitatus: see precipitatethe

noun

a substance that is precipitated out from a solution or gas

Etymology: ModL praecipitatum

precipitate Related Forms
pre·cip′i·tately adverb pre·cip′i·tate·ness noun pre·cip′i·ta′·tive adjective pre·cip′i·ta′·tor noun
precipitate Synonyms

precipitate

v.

accelerate, press, hurry; see hasten 2, speed.

precipitate Usage Examples

Object

  • acidosis: This may precipitate lactic acidosis in patients who are taking metformin.
  • crisis: For many of us, they precipitate a last minute crisis of getting ready.
  • recession: Many people believe house prices started to fall sharply from 1989 onwards, precipitating recession.
  • carbonate: Also being launched on Stand 3344 will be the latest surface activated precipitated calcium carbonate from Longcliffe.
  • onset: Then certain key events - stress, infections, more life events - may precipitate the onset of the illness.
  • collapse: It is now perhaps best that no further surgery is carried out lest we precipitate a total facial collapse.

Converse of object

  • produce: For example: A primary iodo compound produces a precipitate quite quickly.

Adjective modifier

  • pale: Because of the lack of charge, the neutral complex isn't soluble in water, and so you get a pale blue precipitate.
  • brown: Addition of hydrogen peroxide produces lots of bubbles of oxygen and a dark chocolate brown precipitate.
  • yellow: A bright orange or yellow precipitate shows the presence of the carbon-oxygen double bond in an aldehyde or ketone.
  • white: The chloride gives a white precipitate; the fluoride doesn't give a precipitate.
  • blue: Because of the lack of charge, the neutral complex isn't soluble in water, and so you get a pale blue precipitate.
  • dark: The purple color of the potassium manganate(VII ) is eventually replaced by a dark brown precipitate of manganese(IV ) oxide.

Modifies a noun

  • withdrawal: For the future of peace, precipitate withdrawal would be a disaster of immense magnitude.
  • action: By evening his mind was made up against precipitate action.

Modifying Another Word

  • thus: Lip readers tell us that the Italian footballer Materazzi called Zidane a " son of a terrorist whore " , thus precipitating the assault.
  • often: Low back ache is often precipitated by moving, lifting objects or twisting of the waist.
  • usually: Angina is usually precipitated by exertion, nevertheless, angina variant may also occur at rest.

Noun used with modifier

  • hydroxide: Oxygen in the air oxidizes the iron(II ) hydroxide precipitate to iron(III ) hydroxide especially around the top of the tube.

Preposition: from

  • solution: Around half the world's production uses the sulfate process in which anatase is precipitated from an acidic titania solution.