praecĭpĭto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n. [praeceps], to throw or cast down headlong, to precipitate (class.; syn.. deicio, deturbo, proruo).
I Act.
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. Ach. 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. 575.— 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.—
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.—
B Trop.
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 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 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. —
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.).
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.—
B Trop.
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 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 ( Luc. ), 21, 68.
XIII —Hence, praecĭpĭ-tanter , adv., hastily , precipitately : agens mannos ad villam, Lucr. 3, 1063.