Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An overhanging or extremely steep mass of rock, such as a crag or the face of a cliff.
  • noun The brink of a dangerous or disastrous situation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A headlong fall; an abrupt descent.
  • noun A bank or cliff extremely steep, or even perpendicular or overhanging; a headlong declivity.
  • noun The brink of a steep declivity; hence, a dangerous place; a critical position; a perilous location.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete A sudden or headlong fall.
  • noun A headlong steep; a very steep, perpendicular, or overhanging place; an abrupt declivity; a cliff.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A very steep cliff.
  • noun The brink of a dangerous situation.
  • noun obsolete A headlong fall or descent.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a very steep cliff

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French précipice, from Latin praecipitium, from praeceps, praecipit-, headlong; see precipitate.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

First attested in 1598, from Latin *praecipitium ("a steep place"), from praeceps ("steep"), from prae + caput ("head"). First meaning of the noun is recorded from 1632.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word precipice.

Examples

  • So, yes, do I continue to oppose it and I do think the term precipice was a good choice of words, John.

    CNN Transcript Dec 15, 2009 2009

  • The sound of a stone thrown over the precipice is heard for several li.

    Fir-Flower Tablets: Poems Translated From the Chinese 1921

  • The word precipice is defined as a very steep, overhanging place or a hazardous situation.

    News for Opelika-Auburn News 2010

  • The word precipice is defined as a very steep, overhanging place or a hazardous situation.

    News for Opelika-Auburn News 2010

  • The word precipice is defined as a very steep, overhanging place or a hazardous situation.

    News for Opelika-Auburn News 2010

  • That was precisely what happened in the U.K. at the start of the last decade, with marketing literature on what came to be known as "precipice bonds" underemphasizing the three-for-one losses on some plans, and resulting in millions of pounds of redress being ordered by the Financial Services Authority.

    The Structured Promise John Greenwood 2011

  • In reality, the conferees knew the only country that had an industrial base capable of pulling the world back from the precipice was the United States.

    Vince Farrell: Bretton Woods II 2008

  • On this account I will call the precipice the Cliff without a

    A Pair of Blue Eyes 2006

  • Acknowledging the fact that we are waltzing along a precipice is the first move in taking steps away from the edge.

    Why so much about Peak Oil? Sam Norton 2006

  • To Holly, it looked as if the precipice was a straight fall, without so much as an angle to cushion the horse beneath them.

    SEASONS OF GOLD STEF ANN HOLM 1992

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • head first??

    April 24, 2007