I. pre ‧ cip ‧ i ‧ tate 1 /prəˈsɪpəteɪt, prɪˈsɪpəteɪt/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of praecipitare , from praeceps ; ⇨ ↑ precipice ]
1 . [transitive] formal to make something serious happen suddenly or more quickly than was expected SYN hasten :
The riot was precipitated when four black men were arrested.
2 . [I, T + out] technical to separate a solid substance from a liquid by chemical action, or to be separated in this way
precipitate somebody into something phrasal verb formal
to force someone or something into a particular state or condition:
The drug treatment precipitated him into a depression.
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THESAURUS
▪ cause to make something happen, especially something bad:
Bad weather has caused a lot of problems on the roads.
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The fault caused the whole computer system to shut down.
▪ make somebody/something do something to cause someone to do something, or cause something to happen. Make is less formal than cause , and is the usual word to use in everyday English:
What made you decide to become a teacher?
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I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.
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Gravity is the force which makes the planets move round the Sun.
▪ be responsible for something if someone or something is responsible for something bad, they caused it to happen:
The excessive heat was responsible for their deaths.
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A small militant group was responsible for the bombing.
▪ bring about something to make something happen – used especially about changes or improvements:
The Internet has brought about enormous changes in society.
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It’s important that we do everything we can to bring about peace.
▪ result in something if an action or event results in something, it makes that thing happen:
The fire resulted in the deaths of two children.
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The decision is likely to result in a large number of job losses.
▪ lead to something to cause something to happen eventually after a period of time:
The information led to several arrests.
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A poor diet in childhood can lead to health problems later in life.
▪ trigger if one event triggers another, it suddenly makes the second event happen:
The incident triggered a wave of violence.
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An earthquake off Java’s southern coast triggered a tsunami.
▪ precipitate formal to make a very serious event happen very suddenly, which will affect a lot of people:
The withdrawal of foreign investment would precipitate an economic crisis.
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The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand precipitated World War I.
II. pre ‧ cip ‧ i ‧ tate 2 /prəˈsɪpətət, prɪˈsɪpətət/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
technical a solid substance that has been chemically separated from a liquid
III. precipitate 3 BrE AmE adjective formal
happening or done too quickly, and not thought about carefully SYN hasty :
a precipitate decision
—precipitately adverb