Meanings
- Steep, like a precipice
a precipitous drop
5 more examples
a precipitous cliff
a precipitous mountain
a precipitous decline
About this time our journey began to be pleasant again. The weather warm, yet not disagreeably so, the grass abundant and of an excellent quality, the road not greatly precipitous, the scenery enchanting.
1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 34When the wind is in the right direction, hang-gliders launch themselves giddily into space from the precipitous bank.
1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 102 - Hasty; rash; quick; sudden
precipitous attempts
1 more example
[…]humans have been responsible for a precipitous decline of elephants, from perhaps 300,000 in the early 1970s to some 10,000 today.
2007 March, J. Michael Fay, “Ivory Wars: Last Stand in Zakouma”, in National Geographic, page 46Synonyms: heedless
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveSteep, like a precipice
adjectiveHeadlong
adjectiveHasty; rash; quick; sudden
sudden
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivedone with very great haste and without due deliberation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Vulgar Latin*praecipitōsus
- Frenchprécipiteux
- Englishprecipitous
From obsolete French précipiteux, from Vulgar Latin *praecipitōsus, from praeceps, praecipit- (“ precipice”) + -ōsus (“-ful, -ous”), from prae- (“before”) + caput (“head”). Equivalent to precipice (“steep cliff, brink”) + -ous.
More words from French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀπότομος
- ἀπότομος (apótomos)steep, like a precipice
Bulgarian много стръмен, отвесен
- много стръмен (mnogo strămen)steep, like a precipice
- отвесен (otvesen)steep, like a precipice
- стремителен (stremitelen)headlong
- прибързан (pribărzan)hasty; rash; quick; sudden; precipitate
Chinese Mandarin 陡峭, 斷崖式 /断崖式
- 陡峭 (dǒuqiào)steep, like a precipice
- 斷崖式 /断崖式 (duànyáshì)steep, like a precipice
Esperanto krutega
- krutegasteep, like a precipice
Finnish jyrkkä, äkkijyrkkä
- jyrkkästeep, like a precipice
- äkkijyrkkäheadlong
- äkillinenhasty; rash; quick; sudden; precipitate
French abrupt, escarpé
- abruptsteep, like a precipice
- escarpésteep, like a precipice
- raidesteep, like a precipice
- précipitéhasty; rash; quick; sudden; precipitate
German abrupt, abschüssig
- abruptsteep, like a precipice
- abschüssigsteep, like a precipice
- jähsteep, like a precipice
- schroffsteep, like a precipice
- steilsteep, like a precipice
- steilwandigsteep, like a precipice
- kopfüberheadlong
- überstürzthasty; rash; quick; sudden; precipitate
Hungarian meredek
- meredeksteep, like a precipice
Latin praeceps
- praecepssteep, like a precipice
Māori tūparipari, tāhekeheke
- tūpariparisteep, like a precipice
- tāhekehekesteep, like a precipice
- tapareresteep, like a precipice
Russian отвесный, крутой
- отвесный (otvesnyj)steep, like a precipice
- крутой (krutoj)steep, like a precipice
- стремительный (stremitelʹnyj)hasty; rash; quick; sudden; precipitate
- резкий (rezkij)hasty; rash; quick; sudden; precipitate
Spanish escarpado, precipitoso
- escarpadosteep, like a precipice
- precipitososteep, like a precipice
- de cabezaheadlong
- precipitosohasty; rash; quick; sudden; precipitate
Cite this entry
precipitous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/precipitous
“precipitous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/precipitous. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “precipitous,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/precipitous.
Source: precipitous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.