English
precipitant
Precipitant comes from Late Latin praecipitans ‘hasty, rash’, from praecipitō ‘to cast down’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘before’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘before’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*préh₂i‘before, in front’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prai‘before’reconstructed
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprae‘before’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEpraeceps‘head first, headlong’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEpraecipitō‘to cast down’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEpraecipitans‘hasty, rash’present participle of praecipitō
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600précipitant
- Englishearliest quotation 1656precipitant
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘before’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*préh₂i‘before, in front’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prai‘before’reconstructed
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprae‘before’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEpraeceps‘head first, headlong’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEpraecipitō‘to cast down’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEpraecipitans‘hasty, rash’present participle of praecipitō
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600précipitant
- Englishearliest quotation 1656precipitant
Earliest quotation: 1656, Philophilus Parresiastes pseudonym; Henr, Enthusiasmus Triumphatus: “[T]heſe dreams the præcipitant and unskilfull are forvvard to…”
The story
The adjective is borrowed from Middle French précipitant, Old French precipitant (‘acting hastily, hasty, rash; acting, happening, or moving rapidly; pressing’) (modern French précipitant), and from their etymon Late Latin praecipitans (‘hasty, rash’), an adjective use of Latin praecipitāns, the present participle of praecipitō (‘to cast down; to throw headlong’), from praeceps (‘head first, headlong; (figurative) hasty, rash’) (from prae (‘before; in front’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- (‘before; in front’)) + -ceps (suffix meaning ‘having a head with specified characteristics’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (‘a head’))).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘before’
first, before, support, far, per, further, report, price, private, fear, practice, opportunity, press, port, primary, prior, prime, afford, ford, prize, forth, practical, appreciate, parade, par, praise, privilege, ferry, pregnant, porch, pardon, interpretation, pirate, fare, prix, primitive, peril, pragmatic, afar, privy, 156 more
through Proto-Italic *prai ‘before’
prestigious, preface, prefix, preeminent, precede, impregnate, prescient, 7 more
through Late Latin prae ‘before’
Today it means
adj Inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration; hasty, impulsive, rash.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *per- / precipitant