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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.
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.—
B. Transf., of inanim. things.
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.—
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.—
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.—
II. Trop., headlong, hasty, rash, precipitate.
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, Cic. 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).—
B. In partic.
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.—
3. Dangerous, hazardous, critical: “in tam praecipiti tempore,Ov. F. 2, 400.—Hence,
b. Subst.: praeceps , cĭpĭtis, n.
(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.—
(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.
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.
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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (59):
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