precipitate vs precipitous :

precipitate or precipitous

Both of these adjectives are based on the image of plunging over the brink of a precipice, but “precipitate” emphasizes the suddenness of the plunge, “precipitous,” the steepness of it. If you make a “precipitate” decision, you are making a hasty and probably unwise one. If the stock market declines “precipitously,” it goes down sharply.

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Definitions
  precipitate
  • n  a precipitated solid substance in suspension or after settling or filtering
  • v  bring about abruptly
    The crisis precipitated by Russia's revolution
  • v  separate as a fine suspension of solid particles
  • v  fall from clouds
    Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on Herculaneum
  • v  fall vertically, sharply, or headlong
    Our economy precipitated into complete ruin
  • v  hurl or throw violently
    The bridge broke and precipitated the train into the river below
  • s  done with very great haste and without due deliberation
    wondered whether they had been rather precipitate in deposing the king
  precipitous
  • s  done with very great haste and without due deliberation
  • s  extremely steep
    the precipitous rapids of the upper river
    the precipitous hills of Chinese paintings
News & Articles
  precipitate
  precipitous
  • Is PRISM Precipitating A Bitcoin Sell-Off?
    Bitcoin has experienced a fairly massive drop in value over the weekend and into this week, moving from a peak of $118 on June 7 to a low of $89 on June 9. While precipitous drops and dizzying highs aren't unusual for the cryptocurrency, BTC watchers are pointing to the PRISM and NSA leaks as a cause for this weekend's massive dip.
    June 11, 2013 - TechCrunch
  • Is PRISM Precipitating A Bitcoin Sell-Off?
    Bitcoin has experienced a fairly massive drop in value over the weekend and into this week, moving from a peak of $118 on June 7 to a low of $89 on June 9. While precipitous drops and dizzying highs aren't unusual for the cryptocurrency, BTC watchers are pointing to the PRISM and NSA leaks as a cause for this weekend's massive dip.
    June 11, 2013 - TechCrunch
  • How Apple Inadvertently Boosted YouTube for Google in a Big Way
    Even as Apple has been distancing itself from Google in several ways, cutting YouTube out has been great for Google. The search giant has seen a precipitous rise in mobile video ads.        
    June 8, 2013 - The Motley Fool