English
precipitation
Precipitation comes from Latin praecipitatio ‘precipitation (all senses)’, from praecipitō ‘to cast down’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káput2‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaput2‘head’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaput3‘head’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeceps3‘head foremost, headlong’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraecipitō4‘to cast down’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraecipitatio5as praecipitātiō‘precipitation (all senses)’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600précipitation5
- Englishearliest quotation 1838precipitation5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin praecipito
- 4 Wiktionary, Latin praecipitatio
- 5 Wiktionary, English precipitation
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1838, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Henry Colburn: “Immediately on returning home, highly satisfied with the result…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaputWiktionary, Latin praecipito‘head’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraecepsWiktionary, Latin praecipito‘head foremost, headlong’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraecipitōWiktionary, Latin praecipitatio‘to cast down’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraecipitatioWiktionary, English precipitationas praecipitātiō‘precipitation (all senses)’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600précipitationWiktionary, English precipitation
- Englishearliest quotation 1838precipitationWiktionary, English precipitation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1838, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Henry Colburn: “Immediately on returning home, highly satisfied with the result…”
Equivalent to precipitate + -ion
Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
…
Latin caput ‘head’
Latin praeceps ‘head foremost, headlong’
Latin praecipitō ‘throw down, hurl down, throw headlong’
Latin praecipitātus ‘cast down’
English precipitate
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
had, case, except, heavy, cash, accept, catch, capable, receive, achieve, behavior, cable, heavily, capacity, chase, capture, haven, behave, perception, hawk, occupation, capsule, recipe, reception, captive, susceptible, chassis, cater, cassette, recipient, caption, captivity, conceive, anticipate, casket, deceive, deception, deceptive, anticipation, conceivable, 135 more
through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’
through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’
capitalism, capitalize, capote, escapade, capitan, capitaine, 62 more
through Latin caput ‘head’
captain, chapter, escape, capital, cape, chef, cabin, chapel, cattle, capitol, chaplain, cad, capita, mischief, mischievous, capillary, chieftain, capo, cabana, capa, caddie, chattel, capuchin, scamper, scamp, chabot, jefe, dishevelled, capitulate, kaput, caput, occipital, chaperon, cabochon, 70 more
Today it means
noun 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.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “precipitation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *káput, Latin caput, Latin praecipito, Latin praecipitatio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / precipitation