Well-read · Science & thinking
Precipitate: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Precipitate verb. To make something, usually something bad, happen suddenly or sooner than expected.
How to say it
prih-SIP-ih-tayt/prɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (SIP). Forms: precipitated, precipitates.
Meanings
- To make something, usually something bad, happen suddenly or sooner than expected.
- In chemistry, to make a solid separate out from a liquid solution.
Precipitate in a sentence
One careless email precipitated a row that lasted for months.
Add the second liquid and a white solid precipitates to the bottom of the beaker.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- trigger
- hasten
- provoke
- spark
Opposite:
- delay
Where precipitate comes from
From Latin praecipitare, to throw headlong, from praeceps, headfirst.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Add the second liquid and a white solid _____ to the bottom of the beaker.
- precipitate
- extrapolate
- quantify
Show the answer
precipitate: Add the second liquid and a white solid precipitates to the bottom of the beaker.