As a verb, to precipitate means to cause something to happen suddenly or sooner than expected, or in science, to make a solid form out of a liquid. As an adjective, it means done too quickly without enough thought. As a noun, it is the solid that forms in a liquid during a chemical reaction.
“Precipitate” comes from Latin *praecipitare*, “to throw headlong,” from *praeceps*, “headfirst, steep.” The sense of suddenness and falling carried into its modern meanings.
The word holds a vivid image: something being thrown off a cliff headfirst. That’s why it can describe both a rash decision and a chemical solid suddenly “falling out” of solution.
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