Where does “precipice” come from?
Precipice comes from Middle French precipice, from Latin praecipitium, derived from praeceps meaning headlong, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root keh₂p- meaning to seize.
precipice (English): A very steep cliff; The brink of a dangerous...
Definitions
- A very steep cliff; The brink of a dangerous...
Ancestry of “precipice”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | precipice | precipice steep cliff |
| 2 | Latin | praecipitium | precipice; genitive masculine plural of praeceps;... |
| 3 | Latin | praeceps | head first, headlong; steep, precipitous; hasty,... |
| 4 | Latin | -ceps | -headed; -fold; -catcher |
| 5 | Old Latin | -cipes | "third declension"; Alternative form of -ceps;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -kaputis | -headed |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |