praeceps

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin prae

Proto-Indo-European *kap-

Proto-Indo-European *káput

Proto-Italic *kaput

Proto-Indo-European *ís

Proto-Italic *is

Proto-Italic *-kaput-isder.

Old Latin -cipesder.

Latin -ceps

Latin praeceps

From prae (“before”) + -ceps (“headed”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈprae̯.kɛps]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈprɛː.t͡ʃeps]

Adjective

praeceps (genitive praecipitis); third-declension one-termination adjective

1. head first, headlong
   • 166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 605–606:

     DĀVUS: Sed eccum ipsum videō: occīdī! / Utinam mihi esset aliquid hīc quō nunc mē praecipitem darem!

     DAVUS: But look, [it’s he] himself, I see: I’m ruined! If only there was someplace here from which I could now throw myself headfirst!
     (Here used adverbially or as a predicate adjective.)

2. steep, precipitous
   • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 38.23.1:

     Ruunt caeci per vias, per invia; nulla praecipitia saxa, nullae rupes obstant

     They rush blindly by roads, or without roads; no steep stones, no cliffs hinder them

3. (figuratively) hasty, rash, precipitate

Declension

Third-declension one-termination adjective.

	singular			plural
	masc./fem.	neuter		masc./fem.	neuter
nominative	praeceps			praecipitēs	praecipitia
genitive	praecipitis			praecipitium
dative	praecipitī			praecipitibus
accusative	praecipitem	praeceps		praecipitīs praecipitēs	praecipitia
ablative	praecipitī praecipite			praecipitibus
vocative	praeceps			praecipitēs	praecipitia

Derived terms

• praecipitō

Descendants

• → Italian: precipite, ⇒ precipitoso
• → Portuguese: precípite
• ⇒ English: precipitous

Adverb

praeceps (not comparable)

1. headlong

Noun

praeceps n (genitive praecipitis); third declension

1. a precipice, steep place
2. extreme danger

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, pure i-stem).

	singular	plural
nominative	praeceps	praecipitia
genitive	praecipitis	praecipitium
dative	praecipitī	praecipitibus
accusative	praeceps	praecipitia
ablative	praecipitī	praecipitibus
vocative	praeceps	praecipitia

Related terms

• praecipitium

References

• “praeceps”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “praeceps”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “praeceps”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to fall down headlong: praecipitem ire; in praeceps deferri
    
  • to bring a man to ruin; to destroy: aliquem affligere, perdere, pessumdare, in praeceps dare
    
  • to be ruined, undone: praecipitem agi, ire
    
  • to be short-tempered; to be prone to anger: praecipitem in iram esse (Liv. 23. 7)
    
  • to be carried away by something: praecipitem ferri aliqua re (Verr. 5. 46. 121)
    
  • headlong flight: fuga effusa, praeceps (Liv. 30. 5)
    
  • to flee headlong: praecipitem se fugae mandare