precipitation
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
any form of water that falls from the sky to the ground, such as rain, snow, or hail.
any product of the atmospheric water vapour condensation that falls under gravity, including rain, sleet, snow, and hail.
Simple“The weather forecast predicts heavy precipitation in the mountains tomorrow morning.”
In context“Meteorologists recorded record levels of annual precipitation, with the majority of the moisture arriving during the monsoon season.”
UsageUncountable when referring to the phenomenon; countable when referring to specific events or types.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the process where a solid forms and settles at the bottom of a liquid during a chemical reaction.
the formation of an insoluble solid from a solution during a chemical reaction or by lowering the solubility of a solute.
Simple“Adding the salt caused the precipitation of a white powder at the bottom of the tube.”
In context“The precipitation of silver chloride occurs immediately upon the addition of sodium chloride to the silver nitrate solution.”
UsageOften used in the context of laboratory experiments or industrial purification.
SynonymssedimentationdepositAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
doing something much too quickly without thinking about it first.
the quality or state of being precipitate; unwise or rash rapidity of action.
Simple“The general's precipitation in attacking the city led to a terrible defeat.”
In context“The board cautioned against such precipitation, advising the CEO to wait for the quarterly results before finalising the merger.”
UsageUsually uncountable in this abstract sense.
Antonyms
“This is about three times the average rainfall in August, and the highest volume of precipitation ever recorded in the country.”
“During the HS1 event, as well as during other periods of weakened AMOC, precipitation increased significantly in northeastern Brazil, while it decreased dramatically in the northern Amazon and other regions farther north.”
From Middle French précipitation, from Latin praecipitātiō, praecipitātiōnem. By surface analysis, precipitate + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.