precipitant
Plural: precipitants
Noun
- an agent that causes a precipitate to form
- Something which causes or hastens the occurrence of an act or event; specifically (chiefly psychology), something which brings about a mental or physiological condition.
- A substance that, when added to a solution, causes a dissolved substance to form a precipitate.
Adjective Satellite
- done with very great haste and without due deliberation; - Shakespeare; - Arthur Geddes
Adj
- Inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration; hasty, impulsive, rash.
- Of a fall: straight downwards; headlong.
- Acting, happening, or moving quickly; fast, rapid, swift; also, abrupt, sudden, unexpected.
- That causes precipitation (“formation of a heavier solid in a lighter liquid as a result of a chemical reaction”).
Adv
- Synonym of precipitantly (“in a precipitant or headlong manner; with foolish or rash haste”).
Origin / Etymology
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”))).
The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.
Synonyms
hasty, overhasty, precipitate, precipitous, abrupt, cursory, daring, devil-may-care, expeditious, express, fast, feverish, fleet, fleeting, greased lightning, headstrong, hectic, hectical, heedless, hotheaded, hyperactive, immediate, impetuous, imprudent, impulsive, lightning fast, nimble, post haste, precipitant, precipitantly, quick, quick as a flash, quick-and-dirty, quicksome, rapid, rash, reckless, speedful, speedy, spit-spot, spontaneous, subitaneous, sudden, suddent, swift, temeritous, tripsome, zippy
Scrabble Score: 17
precipitant: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordprecipitant: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
precipitant: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary