Dictionary

precipice en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈpɹɛs.ə.pɪs/ weak vowel merger
• /ˈpɹɛsɪpɪs/

Etymology

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”).

Meanings

1. A very steep cliff.
   • I resolved to remove my tent from the place where it stood, which was just under the hanging precipice of the hill; and which, if it should be shaken again, would certainly fall upon my tent[…] 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC:
2. (figuratively) The brink of a dangerous situation.
   • In emailed comments supporting the new initiative, the laureate professor Noam Chomsky said: “Humans are marching towards a precipice. When we reach it, unthinkable catastrophe is inevitable. […]” 2022 September 14, Arthur Neslen, quoting Noam Chomsky, “Health groups call for global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty”, in The Guardian:
   • to stand on a precipice
3. (obsolete) A headlong fall or descent.

Forms

Deriveds

precipice bond · precipiced

Relateds

precipitously · precipitousness · precipitous

Synonyms

cliff · cliffdrop

Translations (84)

bg урва (very steep cliff) · da afgrund (brink of a dangerous situation) · txb yast (very steep cliff) · mi paritū (very steep cliff) · az uçurum (very steep cliff) · ru про́пасть (very steep cliff) · lt yžius (very steep cliff) · id gawir (very steep cliff) · hi खड़ी चट्टान (very steep cliff) · eu amildegi (very steep cliff) · uk прі́рва (very steep cliff) · ro genune (very steep cliff) · cs sráz (very steep cliff) · ro prăpastie (very steep cliff) · he צוק (very steep cliff) · cmn 懸崖 /悬崖 (very steep cliff) · la abruptum (very steep cliff) · ang stéap (very steep cliff) · el γκρεμός (very steep cliff) · ja 絶壁 (very steep cliff) · ka უფსკრული (very steep cliff) · de Steilhang (very steep cliff) · fr précipice (very steep cliff) · ia precipitio (very steep cliff) · el γκρεμνός (very steep cliff) · rif addar (very steep cliff) · az sıldırım (very steep cliff) · it dirupo (very steep cliff) · it precipizio (very steep cliff) · gmq-osw stapul (very steep cliff) · mi tupari (very steep cliff) · non stapi (very steep cliff) · sv stop (very steep cliff) · pt precipício (very steep cliff) · cs propast (brink of a dangerous situation) · mi tūparengahua (very steep cliff) · es despeñadero (very steep cliff) · cs strmá stěna (very steep cliff) · sv stape (very steep cliff) · de Abgrund (very steep cliff) · ota یار (very steep cliff) · gmq-osw stapi (very steep cliff) · fo meitilberg (very steep cliff) · cs útes (very steep cliff) · non brant (very steep cliff) · cs prudký svah (very steep cliff) · ro râpă (very steep cliff) · pl przepaść (very steep cliff) · ko 절벽 (very steep cliff) · de Abgrund (brink of a dangerous situation) · mk у́рва (very steep cliff) · hi दरद (very steep cliff) · sv stöp (very steep cliff) · gmq-osw brant (very steep cliff) · nl afgrond (very steep cliff) · ca precipici (very steep cliff) · sq rrëpirë (very steep cliff) · fi kalliojyrkänne (very steep cliff) · ru обры́в (very steep cliff) · sv brant (very steep cliff) · mk про́паст (very steep cliff) · sv stup (very steep cliff) · lt skardis (very steep cliff) · ja 断崖 (very steep cliff) · it baratro (very steep cliff) · gmh stouf (very steep cliff) · uk кру́ча (very steep cliff) · ota قیا (very steep cliff) · ka კბოდე (very steep cliff) · ka ფლატე (very steep cliff) · ka ხრამი (very steep cliff) · su gawir (very steep cliff) · sa पर्शान (very steep cliff) · ca timba (very steep cliff) · it burrone (very steep cliff) · eu malkar (very steep cliff) · cmn 絕壁 /绝壁 (very steep cliff) · es precipicio (very steep cliff) · lt klifas (very steep cliff) · fo avgrund (very steep cliff) · tr uçurum (very steep cliff) · grc κρημνός (very steep cliff) · non bratt (very steep cliff) · fi jyrkänne (very steep cliff)