precipice
- 01 C1 Advanced
a very steep, high face of a rock or mountain.
a very steep or overhanging rock face or cliff; a vertical drop.
Simple“The hikers stopped at the edge of the precipice to look at the valley below.”
In context“From the narrow mountain path, the climbers looked down a sheer precipice that dropped hundreds of metres into the mist below.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
a sudden and very fast fall from a high place.
a headlong fall or steep descent from a great height.
Simple“The old stories describe a hero's precipice into the dark sea.”
In context“The poet used the image of a sudden precipice to represent the character's rapid loss of social standing and wealth.”
First attested in 1598, from Middle French precipice, from Latin praecipitium (“a steep place”), from praeceps (“steep”), from prae + caput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“head”). Distantly related to precept through Latin praecipiō (“to teach”), from prae + capiō (“take”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kap-, keh₂p- (“to hold; to seize”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.