名詞 precipitate:

1. a precipitated solid substance in suspension or after settling or filtering

動詞 precipitate:

1. separate as a fine suspension of solid particles
2. bring about abruptly
3. fall from clouds
   同義詞：come down, fall
4. fall vertically, sharply, or headlong
5. hurl or throw violently

形容詞 precipitate:

1. done with very great haste and without due deliberation
   同義詞：hasty, overhasty, precipitant, precipitous

1. The cart overturned and precipitated us to the ditch.
   車子翻了，我們被摔進了溝里。
2. They acted with precipitate haste.
   他們魯莽倉促地采取了行動。
3. Fears about the solvency of the banks precipitated the great economic crash.
   對銀行償付能力出現(xiàn)恐慌更加速了經(jīng)濟的崩潰。

pre.cip.i.tate

v.（動詞）
pre.cip.i.tat.ed,pre.cip.i.tat.ing,pre.cip.i.tates
v.tr.（及物動詞）
To throw from or as if from a great height; hurl downward:
下擲，由高處拋下：從或好象從極高處拋下；向下投擲：
例句：
.The finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.(Thornton Wilder)
.秘魯最好的橋斷了并把五個行人拋進了深淵.(桑頓·懷爾德)

To cause to happen, especially suddenly or prematurely.See Synonyms at speed
使提前或突然發(fā)生：使發(fā)生，尤指突然或過早地發(fā)生參見 speed
Meteorology To cause (water vapor) to condense and fall from the air as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
【氣象學】 使凝結(jié)而下降：使（水蒸汽）凝結(jié)形成雨、雪、雨夾雪或冰雹從空中降下
Chemistry To cause (a solid substance) to be separated from a solution.
【化學】 使沉淀：使（固態(tài)物質(zhì)）從溶液中分離出來
v.intr.（不及物動詞）
Meteorology To condense and fall from the air as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
【氣象學】 凝結(jié)：凝結(jié)并成為雨、雪、凍雨或冰雹從空中降下
Chemistry To be separated from a solution as a solid.
【化學】 沉淀：被從溶液中分離成為固體
To fall or be thrown headlong:
倒落，一頭栽下：倒栽或被猛然拋下：
例句：
An already ailing economy precipitated into ruin despite foreign intervention.
盡管有外來的協(xié)助，已千瘡百孔經(jīng)濟仍陷入崩潰狀態(tài)

adj.（形容詞）

Moving rapidly and heedlessly; speeding headlong.
倉促行進的，匆促的：快速而疏忽地移動的；猛然加速的
Acting with or marked by excessive haste and lack of due deliberation.See Synonyms at impetuous See Synonyms at reckless
輕率的，沖動行事的：行動過分著急并缺乏應有考慮的，或以之為特點的參見 impetuous參見 reckless
Occurring suddenly or unexpectedly.
突然發(fā)生的：突然或出乎意料地發(fā)生的
n.（名詞）

Chemistry A solid or solid phase separated from a solution.
【化學】 沉淀物：從溶液中分離出來的固體或固體狀態(tài)
A product resulting from a process, an event, or a course of action.
結(jié)果，產(chǎn)物：從一個過程、事件或行為過程中產(chǎn)生的結(jié)果

來源：
Latin praecipit3re praecipit3t- [to throw headlong]
拉丁語 praecipit3re praecipit3t- [猛然扔下]
from praeceps praecipit- [headlong]
源自 praeceps praecipit- [猛然地]
prae- [pre-]
prae- [前綴，表.先于.]
caput capit- [head] * see kaput-
caput capit- [頭] *參見 kaput-

【引伸】
precip.itately
precip.itateness
n.（名詞）
precip.ita.tive
adj.（形容詞）
precip.ita.tor
n.（名詞）
The adjectiveprecipitate and the adverb precipitately were once applied to physical steepness but are now used primarily of rash, headlong actions:
形容詞precipitate 和副詞 precipitately 曾被用于形容物體的陡急， 但現(xiàn)在主要用于指輕率魯莽的行為：
例句：
They made a precipitate decision.
他們作了一個輕率的決定。

例句：
He withdrew precipitately from the race.
他輕率地從比賽中退出。

Precipitouscurrently means .steep. in both literal and figurative senses:
Precipitous在字面和比喻意義上都表示.陡急的.：
例句：
the precipitous rapids of the upper river;
河流上游的急流；

例句：
a precipitous drop in commodity prices.
商品價格急劇下跌。

Butprecipitous and precipitously are also frequently used to mean .abrupt, hasty,. which takes them into territory that would ordinarily belong toprecipitate and precipitately :
但precipitous 和 precipitously 也常意為.突然的，輕率的.， 這把它們帶入通常屬于precipitate 和 precipitately 的意義范圍：
例句：
their precipitous decision to leave.
他們要離開的倉促決定。

This usage is a natural extension of the use ofprecipitous to describe a rise or fall in a quantity over time:a precipitous increase in reports of measles is also an abrupt or sudden event. Though this extended use ofprecipitous is well attested in the work of reputable writers, it is still widely regarded as an error.
這種用法是precipitous 用法的自然推廣， 形容一段時間上數(shù)量的起落：麻疹報道數(shù)量的急劇增加 也表示一種急劇或突然的事件。 盡管precipitous 這一推廣用法在許多著名作家的作品中得到了充分證實， 但它仍被廣泛地認為是一個錯誤。