precipitant

From Old French precipitant, from Latin praecipitans, present participle of praecipitare (“to cast down headlong”), from praeceps (“head foremost, headlong”), from prae (“before”) + caput (“head”).

precipitant (comparative more precipitant, superlative most precipitant)

1. That falls headlong, or causes a headlong fall.
   • J. Philips

     They leave their little lives / Above the clouds, precipitant to earth.

2. Rash or impulsive.
3. Sudden or unexpected.
4. (chemistry) That causes precipitation.

precipitant (plural precipitants)

1. A substance that forms a precipitate when added to a solution.

• precipice
• precipitous
• precipitate
• precipitation

• precipitant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• precipitant in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• precipitant at OneLook Dictionary Search