Where does “precipitately” come from?
Precipitately comes from English precipitate, from Latin praecipitatus, meaning "headlong," from Latin praeceps, "headfirst," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p-, "to seize."
precipitately (English): In a precipitate manner
Ancestry of “precipitately”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | precipitate | To make something happen suddenly and quickly; To... |
| 2 | Latin | praecipitatus | cast down; thrown headlong |
| 3 | Latin | praecipitō | — |
| 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 |