Standard Lemma guide

precipitation

noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /pɹɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃn̩/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: P R IH0 S IH2 P IH0 T EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any or all of the forms of water particles, whether liquid or solid, that fall from the upper atmosphere (e.g., rain, hail, snow or sleet). It is a major class of hydrometeor, but it is distinguished from cloud, fog, dew, rime, frost, etc., in that it must fall. It is distinguished from cloud and virga in that it must reach the ground.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: climatology, meteorology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The amount of water precipitated in any form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: climatology, meteorology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A hurried headlong fall.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A reaction that leads to the formation of a heavier, and often less soluble, solid in a lighter liquid; the precipitate so formed at the bottom of the container.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he soon regretted his haste

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: haste, hastiness, hurry, hurriedness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: speed, swiftness, fastness

Narrower terms: abruptness, precipitateness, precipitousness, precipitance, precipitancy, suddenness

7

noun

Meaning 7

an unexpected acceleration or hastening

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he is responsible for the precipitation of his own demise

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: acceleration

8

noun

Meaning 8

the act of casting down or falling headlong from a height

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: drop, fall

9

noun

Meaning 9

the falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: downfall

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: weather, weather condition, conditions, atmospheric condition

Narrower terms: fine spray, hail, rain, rainfall, sleet, snow, snowfall, virga

10

noun

Meaning 10

the process of forming a chemical precipitate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: chemical process, chemical change, chemical action

11

noun

Meaning 11

the quantity of water falling to earth at a specific place within a specified period of time

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the storm brought several inches of precipitation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: indefinite quantity

History

Etymology

From Middle French précipitation, from Latin praecipitātiō, praecipitātiōnem. By surface analysis, precipitate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

112 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: neerslag — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Afrikaans: presipitasie — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Arabic: تَسَاقُط (tasāquṭ) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Arabic: هُطُول (huṭūl) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Azerbaijani: yağıntı — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Bashkir: яуым-төшөм (yawım-töşöm) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Belarusian: апа́дкі (apádki) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Bulgarian: валеж (valež) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Catalan: precipitació — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Chinese Mandarin: 降水 (jiàngshuǐ) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Chinese Mandarin: 降水量 (jiàngshuǐliàng) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Czech: srážky — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Danish: nedbør — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Dutch: neerslag — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Faroese: avfall — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Finnish: sade — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • French: précipitation — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Georgian: ნალექი (naleki) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • German: Niederschlag — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Greek: υετός (yetós) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Hawaiian: kimu — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Hebrew: משקעים — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Hungarian: csapadék — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Icelandic: úrkoma — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Irish: comhdhlúthú — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Italian: precipitazione — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Japanese: 降水 (kōsui) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Japanese: 降水量 (kōsuiryō) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Korean: 강수 (gangsu) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Korean: 강수량 (gangsuryang) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Lao: ນ້ໍາຝົນ (nam fon) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Latgalian: krytuli — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Macedonian: вр́нежи (vŕneži) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Malay: kerpasan — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Māori: tōtāwairehu — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Mongolian: тунадас (tunadas) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Mongolian: хур тунадас (xur tunadas) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Mongolian: ᠲᠤᠨᠤᠳᠠᠰᠤ (tunudasu) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Mongolian: ᠬᠤᠷ᠎ᠠ ᠲᠤᠨᠤᠳᠠᠰᠤ (qur-a tunudasu) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nedbør — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Norwegian Bokmål: presipitasjon — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: nedbør — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Pannonian Rusyn: паданя (padanja) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Persian: بارندگی (bârandegi) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Persian: نزولات (nozulât) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Polish: opad atmosferyczny — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Portuguese: precipitação — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Romanian: precipitație — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Russian: оса́дки (osádki) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Russian: атмосферные осадки (atmosfernyje osadki) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Serbo-Croatian: па̏далине — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Serbo-Croatian: па̏давине — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Serbo-Croatian: pȁdaline — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Serbo-Croatian: pȁdavine — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Southern Altai: јаашкын (ǰaaškïn) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Spanish: precipitación — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Swedish: nederbörd — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Tagalog: kadanligan — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Thai: หยาดน้ําฟ้า (yàat-náam-fáa) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Turkish: yağış — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Turkish: yağıntı — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Ukrainian: оса́дка (osádka) — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Vietnamese: giáng thủy — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Vietnamese: sự kết tủa — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Welsh: dyddodiad — weather: water falling from the atmosphere
  • Finnish: sadanta — meteorology: the amount precipitated
  • Finnish: sademäärä — meteorology: the amount precipitated
  • Bulgarian: стремителност (stremitelnost) — hurried headlong fall
  • Finnish: päistikkaa syöksyminen — hurried headlong fall
  • Icelandic: það að steypast áfram — hurried headlong fall
  • Icelandic: það að æða áfram — hurried headlong fall
  • Icelandic: það að flæða áfram — hurried headlong fall
  • Afrikaans: presipitasie — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Arabic: تَرَسُّب (tarassub) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Bulgarian: утаяване (utajavane) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沉澱 /沉淀 (chéndiàn) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Czech: srážení — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Finnish: saostuminen — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • French: précipitation — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • German: Präzipitation — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Hebrew: שיקוע — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Hungarian: kicsapódás — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Icelandic: felling (efnis úr lausn) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Icelandic: botnfelling (efnis úr lausn) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Icelandic: úrfelling (efnis úr lausn) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Japanese: 沈殿 (chinden) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Latgalian: nūsiesšona — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Malay: pemendakan — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Norwegian: utfelling — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Norwegian: presipitasjon — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Portuguese: precipitação — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Russian: выпаде́ние в оса́док (vypadénije v osádok) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Russian: осажде́ние (osaždénije) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Russian: оса́док (osádok) — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Spanish: precipitación — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Swedish: utfällning — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Tagalog: sahimuo — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Turkish: çökelme — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Vietnamese: sự kết tủa — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Welsh: gwaddodiad — chemistry: chemical reaction forming solid in liquid
  • Arabic: عجلة (ʕajala) — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Bulgarian: прибързаност (pribǎrzanost) — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Finnish: kiire — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • French: précipitation — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Hungarian: sietség — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Icelandic: flýtir — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Icelandic: óðagot — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Icelandic: bráðræði — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Latgalian: drystuošona — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Latgalian: skuba — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Portuguese: precipitação — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
  • Turkish: acele — unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste
Real reading context

precipitation in complete knowledge articles