Precipitate

1. (v.) To fall or hurl downward from a great height, to force forward prematurely.

2. (a.) Overhasty; rash; as, the king was too precipitate in declaring war.

3. (a.) Lacking due deliberation or care; hurried; said or done before the time; as, a precipitate measure.

4. (a.) Ending quickly in death; brief and fatal; as, a precipitate case of disease.

5. (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.

6. (v. t.) To throw headlong; to cast down from a precipice or height.

7. (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.

8. (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.

9. (v. i.) To dash or fall headlong.

10. (v. i.) To hasten without preparation.

11. (v. i.) To separate from a solution as a precipitate. See Precipitate, n.

Thesaurus Entries

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 about, bring down, bring on, bulldog, bundle, bustle, by-product, careless, cascade, cast, cast down, cataract, caught napping, caught off balance, caught short, chop down, cinder, clinker, collapse, come down, consequence, consequent, corollary, crash, crowd, cut down, dash down, dashing, deck, deposit, deposition, deposits, derivation, derivative, descend, desperate, development, devil-may-care, diluvium, dip down, dispatch, distillate, double-quick, down, draff, dregs, drive on, drizzle, drop, drop down, drop off, dross, drum, eagle-winged, effect, electrifying, ember, event, eventuality, eventuation, expedite, expeditious, express, extemporaneous, extemporized, facilitate, fall, fall down, fall off, far ahead, fast, feces, fell, fetch down, fleet, fling, floor, flying, foolhardy, forward, froth, fruit, furious, further, galloping, go down, go downhill, gravitate, ground, grounds, hair-trigger, half-baked, half-cocked, haphazard, harum-scarum, harvest, haste, hasten, hasten on, hasty, head, headlong, headstrong, hew down, hie on, hotheaded, hurl, hurried, hurry, hurry along, hurry on, hurry up, hustle, hustle up, hustling, ill-considered, impatient, impetuous, impromptu, improvised, impulsive, incautious, incite, incline, injudicious, instigate, issue, knock down, launch, lay level, lay low, lay out, lead, lean, lees, legacy, level, light of heel, light-footed, lively, loess, logical outcome, lose altitude, mad, madcap, makeshift, mercurial, meteoric, mizzle, moraine, mow down, nerve-shattering, nimble, nimble-footed, not firm, offscum, offshoot, offspring, outcome, outgrowth, overeager, overenthusiastic, overhasty, oversoon, overzealous, panting, parachute, patter, pelt, pitch, pitter-patter, plummet, plunge, point, pounce, pour, pour down, pour with rain, precipitant, precipitation, precipitous, precocious, premature, press, previous, product, project, prompt, prostrate, provoke, pull down, push, push forward, push on, push through, quick, quick as lightning, quick as thought, quicken, railroad through, rain, rain tadpoles, rapid, rase, rash, raze, reckless, refractory, result, resultant, rough-and-ready, running, rush, rush along, rushed, rushing, scoria, scum, sediment, sedimentate, sedimentation, send headlong, sequel, sequela, sequence, sequent, settle, settlings, sheer, shocking, shower, shower down, sideling, silt