Meaning

noun a precipitated solid substance in suspension or after settling or filtering

verb bring about abruptly

verb separate as a fine suspension of solid particles

originFrom Latin praecipitātus, perfect passive participle of praecipitō (“throw down, hurl down, throw headlong”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from praeceps (“head foremost, headlong”) (praecipit- in its oblique stem), from prae (“before”) + -ceps (“headed”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0