precipice
/ˈpɹɛsɪpɪs/ noun
Forms precipices præcipice
- noun A very steep cliff.
- noun (figurative) The brink of a dangerous situation. “to stand on a precipice”
- noun (obsolete) A headlong fall or descent.
Synonyms
Etymology
First attested in 1598, from Middle French precipice, from Latin praecipitium (“a steep place”), from praeceps (“steep”), from prae + caput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“head”).
Distantly related to precept through Latin praecipiō (“to teach”), from prae + capiō (“take”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-, *keh₂p- (“to hold; to seize”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A sudden or headlong fall. [Obs.] Fuller.
- noun A headlong steep; a very steep, perpendicular, or overhanging place; an abrupt declivity; a cliff.
Etymology [F. précipice, L. praecipitium, fr. praeceps, - cipitis, headlong; prae before + caput, capitis, the head. See Pre-, and Chief.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “precipice”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details