Definition of precipitate
- a. - Overhasty; rash; as, the king was too precipitate in
declaring war.
- a. - Lacking due deliberation or care; hurried; said or
done before the time; as, a precipitate measure.
- a. - Falling, flowing, or rushing, with steep descent;
headlong.
- a. - Ending quickly in death; brief and fatal; as, a
precipitate case of disease.
- n. - 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.
- v. t. - To throw headlong; to cast down from a precipice or
height.
- v. t. - 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.
- v. t. - To separate from a solution, or other medium, in
the form of a precipitate; as, water precipitates camphor when in
solution with alcohol.
- v. i. - To dash or fall headlong.
- v. i. - To hasten without preparation.
- v. i. - To separate from a solution as a precipitate. See
Precipitate, n.