Spanish Conversation · Level 31
90 words
Spanish word
precipicio
Pronunciation
IPA/pɾeθiˈpiθjo/
Meaning
- masculine nouncliff
Example
El sendero termina en un precipicio.
The trail ends at a cliff.
More examples
Me asomé al precipicio y sentí vértigo.
I looked over the cliff and felt dizzy.
Core concept
Steep rock face that drops away sharply.
Common phrases
caer por un precipicio
fall off a cliff
asomarse al precipicio
look over the cliff
al borde del precipicio
at the edge of the cliff
Similar words
acantilado: Steep coastal cliff, often vertical, where rock plunges straight into the sea.
borde: Edge or lip of something, the narrow boundary where one side ends.
Definition in Spanish
Lugar donde el suelo cae bruscamente; también usado para indicar una situación de peligro inminente.
Word origin
From Latin praecipitium (prae- 'before' + caput 'head'), originally meaning 'headlong fall' and now applied to a sudden drop or a figurative brink.
Usage tips
- Commonly used in the idiom 'estar al borde del precipicio' to describe being on the verge of a crisis rather than only a physical cliff.
Other meanings
- precipicenoun
- brinknoun
Opposites
- llanuraplainnoun
- planicieflatlandnoun
Related words
- precipitarhastenverb
- precipitadohastyadjective
- precipitaciónprecipitationnoun