-atio

an action, process, or result

Forms

-atio
-ation- — Latin stem used outside the basic noun form.
-ation — Borrowed into English through French and Latin.

Origin

Latin -a-, associated with one class of verbs, plus the action-noun suffix -tio.

Note

The same formation can name either doing something or what the action produces.

276 / 374

noun

precipitation

prih-sip-ih-TAY-shun/prɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃn/

Water falling from the atmosphere as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Precipitation falls from the cloud onto the earth below.

A small gray rain cloud releases unmistakable falling raindrops onto a patch of earth and shallow puddle, meteorological natural scene, no face or icons.

Etymology

precipitLatinto throw or fall headlong

+ationLatinan action, process, or result

From a verb meaning “to throw or fall headlong,” precipitation first named a casting down. The broader sense of falling from a height connects that image to atmospheric water falling to earth.

In context

GeoScience Videos0:33

Clouds lose their moisture through precipitation. Rain falling on land can run off

Porosity and Permeability

More examples

Snow accounted for most of the winter precipitation.
The gauge measured total precipitation.
The region receives little annual precipitation.

Forms

precipitation

Similar words

rainfall: Rainfall is liquid precipitation; precipitation also includes snow, sleet, and hail.
condensation: Condensation forms liquid droplets from vapor; precipitation falls from the atmosphere to the surface.