precipitousadj.

Brit.

/prᵻˈsɪpᵻtəs/, U.S.

/priˈsɪpədəs/,

/prəˈsɪpədəs/

Forms: 1600s praecipitous, 1600s– precipitous.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French precipiteux.

Etymology: < French precipiteux steep or vertical (mid 16th cent. in Middle French), rash, impetuous (late 16th cent.), (of a thing) abrupt, sudden (late 16th cent.; now archaic or regional), probably < precipit hasty, impetuous (see precipit adj.) + -eux -ous suffix, or perhaps < an unattested post-classical Latin form *praecipitosus < classical Latin praecipit- , praeceps headlong (see precipe n.) + -ōsus -ous suffix. Compare Spanish precipitoso (a1578 or earlier), Portuguese precipitoso (1561), Italian precipitoso (first half of the 14th cent.). Compare earlier precipitously adv.

I. Senses relating to haste or speed.

1. Acting or done in excessive haste; rash, unthinking. Cf. precipitate adj. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective] > acting with haste > foolishly or recklessly

hastivec1300

racklec1300

hastya1375

foolhastya1393

headya1425

properant1531

headlonga1533

steep1601

precipitate1607

precipitant1608

proclive1609

precipitious1612

precipitous1646

precipitating1681

ram-stam1786

precipit1922

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. v. 18 The attempts of some have been precipitous .

1689 T. Shadwell Bury-Fair v. i I should be censur'd for being too precipitous.

1704 J. Elsum Art of Painting after Ital. Manner (new ed.) xliv. 131 Enough to humble such as are apt to be too confident and precipitous in their Opinions, and teach them to examine well before they give their Judgement.

a1734 R. North Examen (1740) iii. vii. §78. 564 This Discharge..was precipitous.., and done on Purpose to stop that Indictment.

1853 Friendship's Memorial 58 Discouraged by the precipitous decision of my sister,..I offered my neck like a lamb to the butcher.

1916 G. B. Shaw Let. 4 Sept. in Bernard Shaw & Mrs. P. Campbell (1952) 191 I struck up a precipitous flirtation.

1970 Times 19 Nov. 14/3 It is essential in the interests of the country that we look at the proposals that have been made to us rather than make a precipitous decision.

2004 Daily Mail (Nexis) 11 Nov. 16 There are important lessons from the outcome of the referendum and we need to consider them in the cold light of day rather than jumping overrapidly into any precipitous conclusions.

2. Having rapid forward motion; fast. Cf. precipitate adj. 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > [adjective] > moving with impetuous speed or headlong

ranka1250

whirling1382

hurlingc1400

whithering1513

headling?1518

vehement1528

heady1562

headlongc1565

precipitant1649

precipitate1654

torrent1667

precipitous1681

tearing1765

torrentuous1840

whirlwind1865

torrential1877

Gadarene1895

rocketing1952

1681 C. Cotton Wonders of Peake 28 The Spring..forc'd on still to more precipitous hast, By the succeeding streams lyes gargling there.

1728 J. Dunton Religio Bibliopolæ 96 Whither do we see some People hurried, by the precipitous Streams of Anger, Love, Hatred, &c. even upon a bare Apprehension and Jealousy, without the least Discovery of Cause or Motive?

1774 T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1772 33 The waters are discharged with a rapid precipitous current.

1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna i. viii. 5 A course precipitous, of dizzy speed, Suspending thought and breath.

1833 C. Lamb Barrenness Imaginative Faculty in Last Ess. Elia 167 Precipitous, with his reeling Satyr rout about him,..Bacchus..flings himself at the Cretan.

1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in Enoch Arden, etc. 32 The sweep Of some precipitous rivulet to the wave.

1930 Daily Courier (Connellsville, Pa.) 30 July 5/1 Over wide hot plains and difficult mountain passes and following precipitous rivers they [sc. roads in Spain] are smooth and broad and made to last forever.

1999 Independent (Nexis) 1 Aug. 20 South of Interlaken..lie the precipitous streams and potentially lethal waterfalls offering new business opportunities.

2001 Time Mag. (Nexis) 30 Apr. 52 Anthropologists..can't afford to ignore the precipitous pace of discovery among geneticists.

II. Senses relating to precipices or descent.

3. = precipitate adj. 4.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective] > acting with haste > hasty or sudden

subitane?a1425

subite?1483

subitany1603

precipitating1638

subitaneous1645

precipitous1646

precipitant1649

precipitate1658

precipitious1676

the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > decreasing rapidly

precipitous1897

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. vi. 117 The small and slender time of the Beares gestation,..lasting but few dayes,..the exclusion becomes precipitous, and the young ones consequently informous.

1664 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense 55 in Sylva How precious the time is, how præcipitous the occasion, how many things to be done in their just Season.

1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. II. 360 The descent of the temperature is then rapid, even precipitous, falling 3° to 5° F. or more in a single night.

1904 Daily Gaz. & Bull. (Williamsport, Pa.) 16 Sept. This was a case of precipitous birth.

1958 Newsweek 1 Sept. 53/3 There has been a precipitous decline in the number of Jews in the Soviet Government.

1968 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 20 Nov. 8/7 The frequent practice of delivery room personnel to use towel packs or have the mother walk around to hold back a precipitous delivery until the obstetrician arrives.

1982 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 1 Aug. 11/3 His fall from power was even more precipitous.

2004 Buffalo (N.Y.) News (Nexis) 3 Sept. Before birth, the fetal lungs and airways are filled with fluid, which is expelled by the compression of a normal vaginal delivery. In a precipitous delivery, that fluid can be retained in the lungs and cause breathing problems.

4. Of the nature of or consisting of a precipice or precipices; steep or vertical, as a rock face.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > cliff > [adjective] > steep or precipitous

prerupt1603

precipitate1615

precipitating1615

precipitious1631

precipit1648

precipitous1660

skerrya1800

steeped-to1858

1660 E. Warcupp tr. F. Schottus Italy i. 133 A Bridge, which did conjoyn two high and precipitous Mountains between which the River passed.

1685 F. Digby in F. Digby & J. Norris tr. Xenophon Kyrou Paideia Pref. This was he, who..conducted ten thousand Foot through the midst of the Provinces of Persia, from Babylon to Greece, over precipitous Mountains, deep Rivers, by streight and almost unpassable Ways.

1748 S. Johnson Vision Theodore in R. Dodsley Preceptor 517 The Declivities grew more precipitous, and the Sand slided from beneath my Feet.

1791 R. Heron Scotl. Delineated 69 A stupendous assemblage of precipitous cliffs, rising in wild series, forming a pyramidal mountain, nine hundred feet high, accessible only to the north-east.

1817 T. Moore Lalla Rookh 271 Down the precipitous rocks they sprung.

1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. ii. 260 In the first part the shore is bold, precipitous, and picturesque.

1856 A. P. Stanley Sinai & Palestine (1858) viii. 324 Up the precipitous ravines of Jericho and Ai.

1905 Baroness Orczy Scarlet Pimpernel xxviii. 275 She peeped down the great rugged cliffs—the descent would be easy enough, as they were not precipitous.

1960 W. Harris Palace of Peacock viii. 102 High precipitous cliffs and walls had appeared on either..bank.

1992 Holiday Which? May 131/2 It's a tough three- to four-hour return walk from the end of the precipitous road to the summit and back.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	precipitous
释义	precipitousadj. Brit. /prᵻˈsɪpᵻtəs/, U.S. /priˈsɪpədəs/, /prəˈsɪpədəs/ Forms: 1600s praecipitous, 1600s– precipitous. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French precipiteux. Etymology: < French precipiteux steep or vertical (mid 16th cent. in Middle French), rash, impetuous (late 16th cent.), (of a thing) abrupt, sudden (late 16th cent.; now archaic or regional), probably < precipit hasty, impetuous (see precipit adj.) + -eux -ous suffix, or perhaps < an unattested post-classical Latin form praecipitosus < classical Latin praecipit-* , praeceps headlong (see precipe n.) + -ōsus -ous suffix. Compare Spanish precipitoso (a1578 or earlier), Portuguese precipitoso (1561), Italian precipitoso (first half of the 14th cent.). Compare earlier precipitously adv. I. Senses relating to haste or speed. 1. Acting or done in excessive haste; rash, unthinking. Cf. precipitate adj. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective] > acting with haste > foolishly or recklessly hastivec1300 racklec1300 hastya1375 foolhastya1393 headya1425 properant1531 headlonga1533 steep1601 precipitate1607 precipitant1608 proclive1609 precipitious1612 precipitous1646 precipitating1681 ram-stam1786 precipit1922 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. v. 18 The attempts of some have been precipitous . View more context for this quotation 1689 T. Shadwell Bury-Fair v. i I should be censur'd for being too precipitous. 1704 J. Elsum Art of Painting after Ital. Manner (new ed.) xliv. 131 Enough to humble such as are apt to be too confident and precipitous in their Opinions, and teach them to examine well before they give their Judgement. a1734 R. North Examen (1740) iii. vii. §78. 564 This Discharge..was precipitous.., and done on Purpose to stop that Indictment. 1853 Friendship's Memorial 58 Discouraged by the precipitous decision of my sister,..I offered my neck like a lamb to the butcher. 1916 G. B. Shaw Let. 4 Sept. in Bernard Shaw & Mrs. P. Campbell (1952) 191 I struck up a precipitous flirtation. 1970 Times 19 Nov. 14/3 It is essential in the interests of the country that we look at the proposals that have been made to us rather than make a precipitous decision. 2004 Daily Mail (Nexis) 11 Nov. 16 There are important lessons from the outcome of the referendum and we need to consider them in the cold light of day rather than jumping overrapidly into any precipitous conclusions. 2. Having rapid forward motion; fast. Cf. precipitate adj. 3. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > [adjective] > moving with impetuous speed or headlong ranka1250 whirling1382 hurlingc1400 whithering1513 headling?1518 vehement1528 heady1562 headlongc1565 precipitant1649 precipitate1654 torrent1667 precipitous1681 tearing1765 torrentuous1840 whirlwind1865 torrential1877 Gadarene1895 rocketing1952 1681 C. Cotton Wonders of Peake 28 The Spring..forc'd on still to more precipitous hast, By the succeeding streams lyes gargling there. 1728 J. Dunton Religio Bibliopolæ 96 Whither do we see some People hurried, by the precipitous Streams of Anger, Love, Hatred, &c. even upon a bare Apprehension and Jealousy, without the least Discovery of Cause or Motive? 1774 T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1772 33 The waters are discharged with a rapid precipitous current. 1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna i. viii. 5 A course precipitous, of dizzy speed, Suspending thought and breath. 1833 C. Lamb Barrenness Imaginative Faculty in Last Ess. Elia 167 Precipitous, with his reeling Satyr rout about him,..Bacchus..flings himself at the Cretan. 1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in Enoch Arden, etc. 32 The sweep Of some precipitous rivulet to the wave. 1930 Daily Courier (Connellsville, Pa.) 30 July 5/1 Over wide hot plains and difficult mountain passes and following precipitous rivers they [sc. roads in Spain] are smooth and broad and made to last forever. 1999 Independent (Nexis) 1 Aug. 20 South of Interlaken..lie the precipitous streams and potentially lethal waterfalls offering new business opportunities. 2001 Time Mag. (Nexis) 30 Apr. 52 Anthropologists..can't afford to ignore the precipitous pace of discovery among geneticists. II. Senses relating to precipices or descent. 3. = precipitate adj. 4. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective] > acting with haste > hasty or sudden subitane?a1425 subite?1483 subitany1603 precipitating1638 subitaneous1645 precipitous1646 precipitant1649 precipitate1658 precipitious1676 the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > decreasing rapidly precipitous1897 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. vi. 117 The small and slender time of the Beares gestation,..lasting but few dayes,..the exclusion becomes precipitous, and the young ones consequently informous. View more context for this quotation 1664 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense 55 in Sylva How precious the time is, how præcipitous the occasion, how many things to be done in their just Season. 1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. II. 360 The descent of the temperature is then rapid, even precipitous, falling 3° to 5° F. or more in a single night. 1904 Daily Gaz. & Bull. (Williamsport, Pa.) 16 Sept. This was a case of precipitous birth. 1958 Newsweek 1 Sept. 53/3 There has been a precipitous decline in the number of Jews in the Soviet Government. 1968 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 20 Nov. 8/7 The frequent practice of delivery room personnel to use towel packs or have the mother walk around to hold back a precipitous delivery until the obstetrician arrives. 1982 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 1 Aug. 11/3 His fall from power was even more precipitous. 2004 Buffalo (N.Y.) News (Nexis) 3 Sept. Before birth, the fetal lungs and airways are filled with fluid, which is expelled by the compression of a normal vaginal delivery. In a precipitous delivery, that fluid can be retained in the lungs and cause breathing problems. 4. Of the nature of or consisting of a precipice or precipices; steep or vertical, as a rock face. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > cliff > [adjective] > steep or precipitous prerupt1603 precipitate1615 precipitating1615 precipitious1631 precipit1648 precipitous1660 skerrya1800 steeped-to1858 1660 E. Warcupp tr. F. Schottus Italy i. 133 A Bridge, which did conjoyn two high and precipitous Mountains between which the River passed. 1685 F. Digby in F. Digby & J. Norris tr. Xenophon Kyrou Paideia Pref. This was he, who..conducted ten thousand Foot through the midst of the Provinces of Persia, from Babylon to Greece, over precipitous Mountains, deep Rivers, by streight and almost unpassable Ways. 1748 S. Johnson Vision Theodore in R. Dodsley Preceptor 517 The Declivities grew more precipitous, and the Sand slided from beneath my Feet. 1791 R. Heron Scotl. Delineated 69 A stupendous assemblage of precipitous cliffs, rising in wild series, forming a pyramidal mountain, nine hundred feet high, accessible only to the north-east. 1817 T. Moore Lalla Rookh 271 Down the precipitous rocks they sprung. 1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. ii. 260 In the first part the shore is bold, precipitous, and picturesque. 1856 A. P. Stanley Sinai & Palestine (1858) viii. 324 Up the precipitous ravines of Jericho and Ai. 1905 Baroness Orczy Scarlet Pimpernel xxviii. 275 She peeped down the great rugged cliffs—the descent would be easy enough, as they were not precipitous. 1960 W. Harris Palace of Peacock viii. 102 High precipitous cliffs and walls had appeared on either..bank. 1992 Holiday Which? May 131/2 It's a tough three- to four-hour return walk from the end of the precipitous road to the summit and back. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.1646
随便看	passager passagere passages passagetime passageway passageways passaging passalid passamaquoddies passamaquoddy passament passamezzo passance passant passant guardant passant regardant passant repassant passanter passantest passantly passarado passaree passata passatas passatempo