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praeceps, cĭpĭtis (old form praecĭ-pes, cĭpis, Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 8; id. et Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 725 P. (Ann. v. 391 Vahl.; abl. praecipiti), adj. [prae-caput].

  1. I. Lit., headforemost, headlong (class.): praecipitem trahi, Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 79: aliquem praecipitem deicere, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 40, § 86: praeceps ad terram datus, dashed to the ground, Liv. 31, 37: praeceps curru ab alto Desilit, Ov. M. 12, 128: hic se praecipitem tecto dedit, threw himself headlong from the roof, Hor. S. 1, 2, 41: aliquem in praeceps jacere, headlong, Tac. A. 4, 22; so, jacto in praeceps corpore, id. ib. 6, 49; cf.: in praeceps deferri, Liv. 5, 47.
    For in praeceps, in late Lat., per praeceps occurs: abiit grex per praeceps in mare, Vulg. Matt. 8, 32; id. Judic. 5, 22.
    Hence, of one going rapidly, headforemost, headlong: de ponte Ire praecipitem in lutum per caputque pedesque, Cat. 17, 9: se jacere praecipitem e vertice, id. 63, 244; Verg. A. 5, 860: ab equo praeceps decidit, Ov. Ib. 259: (apes) praecipites Cadunt, Verg. G. 4, 80: aliquem praecipitem agere, to drive headlong, Cic. Caecin. 21, 60; Verg. A. 5, 456: praecipites se fugae mandabant, Caes. B. G. 2, 24: Monoeten In mare praecipitem deturbat, Verg. A. 5, 175; cf.: praeceps amensque cucurri, Ov. M. 7, 844: praeceps Fertur, is borne headlong, rushes, Hor. S. 1, 4, 30: nuntii, Tac. H. 2, 6.
    1. B. Transf., of inanim. things.
      1. 1. Of localities, qs. that descend suddenly in front, i. e. downhill, steep, precipitous: in declivi ac praecipiti loco, Caes. B. G. 4, 33: via (opp. plana), Cic. Fl. 42, 105: saxa, Liv. 38, 23: fossae, Ov. M. 1, 97; Verg. A. 11, 888: iter, Ov. Tr. 4, 3, 74; cf. trop.: iter ad malum praeceps ac lubricum, Cic. Rep. 1, 28, 44: loci, Col. 1, 2: mons, Plin. Pan. 16.
        1. b. Subst.: praeceps, cĭpĭtis, n., a steep place, a precipice: turrim in praecipiti stantem, Verg. A. 2, 460: specus vasto in praeceps hiatu, Plin. 2, 45, 44, § 115: in praeceps pervenitur, Vell. 2, 3, 4: immane, Juv. 10, 107: altissimum, App. M. 4, p. 144 med.
          In plur.: in praecipitia cursus iste deducit, Sen. Ep. 8, 4.
      2. 2. Sinking, declining: (in vitibus) praecipites palmites dicuntur, qui de hornotinis virgis enati in duro alligantur, Col. 5, 6, 33: sol Praecipitem lavit aequore currum, Verg. G. 3, 359: jam praeceps in occasum sol erat, Liv. 10, 42: dies, id. 4, 9; cf.: senectus, Curt. 6, 5, 3.
      3. 3. In gen., swift, rapid, rushing, violent (poet.; syn.: celer, velox): praeceps Anio, Hor. C. 1, 7, 13: Boreas, Ov. M. 2, 185: nox, fleeting, transient, id. ib. 9, 485: procella, Stat. Th. 5, 419: oceani fragor, Val. Fl. 3, 404: letum, Sen. Hippol. 262: remedium, Curt. 3, 6, 2.
  2. II. Trop., headlong, hasty, rash, precipitate.
    1. A. In gen. (class.): noster erus, qui scelestus sacerdotem anum praecipes Reppulit, Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 10: sol jam praecipitans me quoque haec praecipitem paene evolvere coëgit, almost headlong, precipitately, Cic. de Or. 3, 55, 209: agunt eum praecipitem poenae civium Romanorum, chase, pursue, id. Verr. 2, 1, 3, § 7: praecipitem amicum ferri sinere, to rush into the abyss, id. Lael. 24, 89: quoniam ab inimicis praeceps agor, am pursued, Sall. C. 31, 9: praeceps celeritas dicendi, Cic. Fl. 20, 48: profectio, Att. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 10, 6: occumbunt multi letum … praecipe cursu, in rapid destruction, Enn. l. l.
      With gen.: SI NON FATORVM PRAECEPS HIC MORTIS OBISSET, sudden as regards fate, Inscr. Grut. 695, 9, emended by Minervini in Bullet. Arch. Napol. III. 1845, p. 41 (but Minervini’s assumption of a new adj., praeceps, from praecipio, anticipating fale, is unnecessary).
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. Rash, hasty, inconsiderate: homo in omnibus consiliis praeceps, Cic. Phil. 5, 13, 37: praeceps et effrenata mens, id. Cael. 15, 35: praeceps consilium et immaturum, Suet. Aug. 8: cogitatio, id. Calig. 48: audacia, Val. Max. 1, 6, 7.
      2. 2. Inclined to any thing: praeceps in avaritiam et crudelitatem animus, Liv. 26, 38: praeceps ingenio in iram, id. 23, 7: animus ad flagitia praeceps, Tac. A. 16, 21.
      3. 3. Dangerous, hazardous, critical: in tam praecipiti tempore, Ov. F. 2, 400.
        Hence,
        1. b. Subst.: praeceps, cĭpĭtis, n.
          1. (α) Great danger, extremity, extreme danger, critical circumstances: se et prope rem publicam in praeceps dederat, brought into extreme danger, Liv. 27, 27: levare Aegrum ex praecipiti, Hor. S. 2, 3, 292: aeger est in praecipiti, Cels. 2, 6.
          2. (β) The highest part, summit, sublimity (postAug.): omne in praecipiti vitium stetit, at its point of culmination, Juv. 1, 149: debet orator erigi, attolli, efferri, ac saepe accedere ad praeceps, to verge on the sublime, Plin. Ep. 9, 26, 2.
            Hence, adv.: prae-ceps, headlong.
      1. 1. Lit.: aliquem praeceps trahere, Tac. A. 4, 62: ex his fulgoribus quaedam praeceps eunt, similia prosilientibus stellis, Sen. Q. N. 1, 15, 2: moles convulsa dum ruit intus immensam vim mortalium praeceps trahit atque operit, Tac. A. 4, 62: toto praeceps se corpore ad undas Misit, Verg. A. 4, 253.
      2. 2. Trop.: eversio rei familiaris dignitatem ac famam praeceps dabat, brought into danger, Tac. A. 6, 17: praeceps in exsilium acti, suddenly, hastily, Amm. 29, 1, 21.

praecĭpĭto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n. [praeceps], to throw or cast down headlong, to precipitate (class.; syn.. deicio, deturbo, proruo).

  1. I. Act.
    1. A. Lit.: pilae in mare praecipitatae, Nep. Alcib. 6 fin.: truncas rupes in tecta domosque, Stat. Th. 10, 881: currum scopulis, hurl or dash against, Ov. M. 15, 518: pinus, Stat. Achill. 2, 546.
      Freq. with se or pass. in middle sense: se e Leucade, Cic. Tusc. 4, 18, 41: se a tecto, Sen. Ep. 4, 4: se de turri, Liv. 23, 37: sese in fossas, Caes. B. C. 3, 69: praecipitasse se quosdam constabat (sc. de muro), threw themselves from the wall, Liv. 23, 19, 6; Hor. S. 2, 3, 277: plerique semet ipsi praecipitaverunt, Liv. 21, 14, 1: se in Tiberim, id. 4, 12, 11; Caes. B. G. 4, 15; Curt. 4, 16, 16; 6, 6, 32; Auct. B. Alex. 18: ubi Nilus praecipitans se fragore auditum accolis aufert, Plin. 6, 29, 35, § 118: praecipitare volens etiam pulcherrima, to throw overboard, Juv. 12, 38.
      Mid.: cum alii super vallum praecipitarentur, threw themselves down, Sall. J. 58, 6; Ov. F. 4, 164; id. M. 7, 760; 11, 556: lux Praecipitatur aquis, sinks in the ocean, sets, id. ib. 4, 92; cf.: hac te praecipitato, run this way, for life! Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 36.
      Absol.: si quando iis (parvis) ludentes minamur, praecipitaturos alicunde, extimescunt, that we will throw them down from any place (= nos eos dejecturos), Cic. Fin. 5, 11, 31.
      1. 2. Transf., in gen., to bend a thing down: vitem, Cato, R. R. 32, 2: partem (vitis), Col. 4, 20, 4: palmitem, id. 5, 6, 33.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. To throw, hurl, or cast down, to precipitate: praecipitari ex altissimo dignitatis gradu, Cic. Dom. 37, 98; cf.: in tanta mala praeeipitatus ex patrio regno, Sall. J. 14, 23.
        Esp. with reflex. pron.: semet ipse praecipitare, to hasten to ruin, destroy one’s self, Sall. J. 41, 9: se in exitium, Cels. 3, 21: se in insidias, Liv. 3, 18, 7 dub. (Madv. omits se): furor iraque mentem Praecipitant, carry away, urge onward, sway violently, Verg. A. 2, 317: spem festinando praecipitare, Ov. P. 3, 1, 140: in senectam praecipitare, to cause to grow old prematurely, Plin. 17, 12, 19, § 94: quosdam praecipitat subjecta potentia magnae Invidiae, Juv. 10, 56.
        In pass., Cic. Rep. 2, 23, 43: nox praecipitata, declining, i. e. drawing to a close, Ov. Tr. 1, 3, 47; cf.: aetas praecipitata (opp. adulescens), declining age, Mat. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 28, 5.
      2. 2. To hasten, hurry a thing (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): quae Praecipitent obitum, hasten their setting, Cic. Arat. 349: vindemiam, Col. 3, 21, 10: consulta viri, Sil. 3, 166: ne praecipitetur editio, Quint. Ep. ad Tryph. 2: consilia raptim praecipitata, precipitate, Liv. 31, 32.
        Poet.: moras, i. e. exchange delay for haste, Verg. A. 8, 443; 12, 699: Tiphyn pelago parari praecipitat, Val. Fl. 2, 390: cursum, Juv. 15, 78.
      3. 3. With acc. and inf., to hasten, press, urge to do any thing (poet.): dare tempus Praecipitant curae, Verg. A. 11, 3: si praecipitant miserum cognoscere curae, Stat. Th. 1, 679.
  2. II. Neutr., to hasten or rush down, to throw one’s self down, rush headlong, sink rapidly, to fall (class., but only of involuntary falling; cf. I. A.).
    1. A. Lit.: praecipitare istuc quidem est, non descendere, Cic. N. D. 1, 32, 90: de montibus altis ad terram, Lucr. 4, 1021: ubi Nilus praecipitat ex altissimis montibus, Cic. Rep. 6, 18, 19; cf.: Fibrenus … statim praecipitat in Lirem, id. Leg. 2, 3, 6: and: in amni praecipitante, id. de Or. 3, 48, 186: nimbi In vada praecipitant, Verg. A. 9, 670; 11, 617: in fossam, Liv. 25, 11, 6; 7, 6, 9; 38, 2, 14; 39, 2, 3: in insidias, id. 2, 51; 5, 18; Plin. 11, 24, 28, § 82: non fugis hinc praeceps, dum praecipitare potestas? Verg. A. 4, 565: sol praecipitans, Cic. de Or. 3, 55, 209: jam nox caelo Praecipitat, is sinking, draws to a close, Verg. A. 2, 9: hiems jam praecipitaverat, had closed, come to an end, Caes. B. C. 3, 25.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. To fall down, to fall, rush, or sink to ruin: qui in amorem Praecipitavit, pejus perit quam si saxo saliat, Plaut. Trin. 2, 1, 31: praecipitantes impellere, certe est inhumanum, Cic. Rab. Post. 1, 2; so, praecipitantem impellamus, id. Clu. 26, 70: ubi non subest, quo praecipitet ac decidat, he may tumble down, id. Rep. 1, 45, 69: praecipitante re publicā, id. Sull. 1, 1; cf. id. ib. 31, 87; and: cum ad Cannas praecipitasset Romana res, Liv. 27, 40: ad exitium praecipitans, Cic. Att. 3, 15, 7.
      2. 2. To be too hasty: cum vitiosum sit adsentiri quicquam aut falsum aut incognitum, sustinenda est potius omnis adsensio, ne praecipitet, si temere processerit, Cic. Ac. 2, 21, 68.
        Hence, praecĭpĭ-tanter, adv., hastily, precipitately: agens mannos ad villam, Lucr. 3, 1063.