Both Uses of
precipitate
in
The Age of Innocence
- Mr. and Mrs. van der Luyden had come to town for a few days from Skuytercliff, whither they had precipitately fled at the announcement of Beaufort's failure.†
Chpt 32 *precipitately = with great haste
- She looked across the table at her husband, and said precipitately: "I'm sure Ellen meant it kindly."†
Chpt 32
Definitions:
-
(1)
(precipitate as in: a precipitate decision) acting with great haste -- often without adequate thought
-
(2)
(precipitate as in: it precipitated a revolution) make something happen or to fall or move -- typically suddenly and often of something undesired
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
In chemistry, the verb form denotes separating solids from a solution; while the noun form references the solid particles in such a solution. It is from this sense that meteorologists refer to rain or snow as precipitation.
In classic literature, the word is sometimes used as a verb to indicated falling from a high spot such as "a false step could precipitate them down off the cliff," or throwing as in "If they attempt to precipitate themselves upon him...".