precipice

See also précipice

English

Alternative forms

• præcipice (archaic)

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɹɛs.ə.pɪs/

Noun

precipice (plural precipices)

1. A very steep cliff.
   • 1719- Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

     I resolved to remove my tent from the place where it stood, which was just under the hanging precipice of the hill; and which, if it should be shaken again, would certainly fall upon my tent...

2. The brink of a dangerous situation.

   to stand on a precipice

3. (obsolete) A headlong fall or descent.

Synonyms

• cliff

Related terms

• precipitous
• precipitously
• precipitousness

Translations

a very steep cliff

• Basque: amildegi (eu), malkar (eu)
• Catalan: precipici (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 懸崖 (cmn), 悬崖 (cmn) (xuányá)

• Dutch: afgrond (nl) m
• Finnish: jyrkänne (fi), kalliojyrkänne (fi)
• French: précipice (fr) m
• Georgian: ხრამი (ka) (xrami)
• German: Abgrund (de) m
• Hebrew: צוק (he) m
• Italian: precipizio (it) m, dirupo (it) m, baratro (it) m, burrone (it) m

• Japanese: 絶壁 (ja) (ぜっぺき, zeppeki), 断崖 (ja) (だんがい, dangai)
• Korean: 절벽 (ko) (jeolbyeok)
• Maori: tupari (mi)
• Old Norse: brant (Eastern dialect), bratt (Western dialect)
• Polish: przepaść (pl) f
• Portuguese: precipício (pt) m
• Romanian: prăpăstie (ro) f, genune (ro), râpă (ro) f
• Russian: пропасть (ru) (própast’) f, обрыв (ru) (obrýv) m
• Spanish: precipicio (es) m
• Swedish: brant (sv) c
• Turkish: uçurum (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: 悬崖 (cmn) (xuán-yá), 懸崖 (cmn) (xuán-yá)
• Greek: γκρεμός (el) (gkremós) m, κρημνός (el) (krimnós) m, βάραθρο (el) (várathro) n, χαράδρα (el) (charádra) f

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Middle French

Noun

precipice m (plural precipices)

1. precipice (steep cliff)