praeceps

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈprae̯.keps/, [ˈpräe̯kɛps̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpre.t͡ʃeps/, [ˈprɛːt͡ʃeps]

Adjective

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

1. head first, headlong
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		praecipitēs	praecipitia
ablative	praecipitī			praecipitibus
vocative	praeceps			praecipitēs	praecipitia

Derived terms

• praecipitō

Descendants

• English: precipitous
• Portuguese: precípite

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

Descendants

• English: precipice

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