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Definition of precipice noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

precipice

noun
 
/ˈpresəpɪs/
 
/ˈpresəpɪs/
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  1. a very steep side of a high cliff, mountain or rock
    • (figurative) The country was now on the edge of a precipice (= very close to disaster).
    see also precipitous
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    Extra Examples
    • She paused on the edge of the precipice for a moment, then drew back.
    • The car was almost forced off a precipice.
    • (figurative) teetering on the precipice of political anarchy
    Topics Geographyc2
    Word Originlate 16th cent. (denoting a headlong fall): from French précipice or Latin praecipitium ‘abrupt descent’, from praeceps, praecip(it)- ‘steep, headlong’.
See precipice in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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