precipitous
pronunciation
How to pronounce precipitous in British English:
UK [prɪˈsɪpɪtəs]
How to pronounce precipitous in American English:
US [prɪˈsɪpɪtəs]
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- Adjective:
- done with very great haste and without due deliberation
- characterized by precipices
- extremely steep
Word Origin
- precipitous (adj.)
- 1640s, "rash, headlong," from obsolete French precipiteux (16c.), from Vulgar Latin *praecipitosus, from praecipitare (see precipitation). Related: Precipitously; precipitousness.
Example
- 1. Es cubells is a small village nestled among the orange , lemon and olive groves on precipitous terraces .
- 2. Freshwater fish populations are in precipitous decline .
- 3. Having lived through a precipitous global economic drop , they now must forecast how steep or flat will be the incline of recovery .
- 4. Although nokia shares are in a precipitous decline , and are some 45 % off , nokia still has a market cap of around $ 14 billion .
- 5. For most capital markets , the financial crisis resembled a stomach-churning bungee jump : a precipitous fall followed by a sharp rebound , albeit not to the heights enjoyed before the turmoil .