Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

precipitous

/pɹɪˈsɪpɪtəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.58 in modern English

Syllables: pre-cip-i-tous
IPA: /pɹɪˈsɪpɪtəs/

17

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Steep, like a precipice

adj

adj

Hasty; rash; quick; sudden

Example Sentences

"a precipitous cliff"
"a precipitous mountain"
"a precipitous decline"
"a precipitous drop"
"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."
"When the wind is in the right direction, hang-gliders launch themselves giddily into space from the precipitous bank."

Etymology

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.

Word Breakdown

Derived Forms

precipitously precipitousness

Synonyms

brant steepdown steep-to headlong precipitant heedless hotheaded impetuous abrupt subitaneous

Rhymes With

serendipitous

Questions

How do you pronounce precipitous?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɹɪˈsɪpɪtəs/.
What does precipitous mean?: Steep, like a precipice
Where does precipitous come from?: 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.

How to pronounce precipitous

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “precipitous”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pɹɪˈsɪpɪtəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “precipitous”.
Repeat and practice — Say “precipitous” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.