French Conversation · Level 101
60 words
French word
précipiter
Pronunciation
IPA/pʁesipite/
Meaning
- verbrush
Example
Elle s'est précipitée pour attraper le bus.
She rushed to catch the bus.
More examples
Les clients se précipitent sur les soldes.
The customers flock to the sales.
Core concept
A moving event is pushed ahead before its natural time, like something sent headlong down a slope.
Common phrases
se précipiter sur
flock to
précipiter quelqu'un
rush someone
précipiter les événements
bring events forward
Similar words
se dépêcher: Acts quickly or in a hurry.
se presser: Hurries to avoid wasting time.
Definition in French
Faire arriver quelque chose plus vite, hâter une action ou un événement.
Word origin
Précipiter comes from Latin praecipitare, 'to throw headfirst', built from prae ('before') and caput ('head'); this image developed into causing an action or event to happen sooner.
Usage tips
- With a direct object, précipiter means to hasten something, while se précipiter means to rush oneself toward or into something.