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