PRECIPICE


Meaning of PRECIPICE in English

pre ‧ ci ‧ pice /ˈpresəpəs, ˈpresɪpəs/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin praecipitium , from praeceps 'headfirst' , from caput 'head' ]

1 . a very steep side of a high rock, mountain, or cliff:

A loose rock tumbled over the precipice.

2 . a dangerous situation in which something very bad could happen:

The stock market is on the edge of a precipice.

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THESAURUS

▪ mountain a very high hill:

the highest mountain in Austria

▪ hill an area of land that is higher than the land around it, which is like a mountain but smaller and usually has a rounded top:

We went for a walk in the hills.

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The house is surrounded by woods, farmland and gentle hills.

▪ Mount ( also Mt written abbreviation ) used in the names of mountains. Don’t say ‘Fuji Mountain’ – say ‘Mount Fuji’ :

Mount Everest

▪ cliff the steep side of an area of land, often next to the sea:

the white cliffs of Dover

▪ precipice especially literary a very steep and dangerous cliff:

They were standing on the edge of a precipice.

▪ crag a high steep rock or mountain:

An eagle sailed over the high crags.

▪ ridge a long narrow area of high ground, especially at the top of a mountain:

I could see a group of climbers high up on a ridge.

▪ knoll a small round hill:

a grassy knoll

▪ volcano a mountain with a large hole at the top, through which ↑ lava (=hot liquid rock) is sometimes forced out:

the eruption of a volcano

▪ summit the very highest point of a mountain:

the summit of Mt Everest

▪ peak especially literary the top of a mountain:

the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas

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a distant peak

▪ range/chain a group of mountains or hills arranged in a line:

the mountain range that is part of the border between Norway and Sweden

▪ foothills a group of smaller hills below a range of high mountains:

the Sierra foothills

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.