Where does “precipitant” come from?
Precipitant comes from Old French precipitant, from Latin praecipitans, the present participle of praecipitare meaning to throw headlong, derived from praeceps meaning headlong, ultimately from the root for head.
precipitant (English): That falls headlong, or causes a headlong fall;...
Definitions
- That falls headlong, or causes a headlong fall;...
Ancestry of “precipitant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | précipitant | present participle of précipiter |
| 2 | Latin | praecipitans | throwing |
| 3 | Latin | praecipitō | to cast down; to throw headlong |
| 4 | Latin | praeceps | head first, headlong; steep, precipitous; hasty,... |
| 5 | Latin | -ceps | -headed; -fold; -catcher |
| 6 | Old Latin | -cipes | "third declension"; Alternative form of -ceps;... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -kaputis | -headed |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |