What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Caustic vs Precipitate - What's the difference?

caustic | precipitate |

As adjectives the difference between caustic and precipitate

is that caustic is caustic while precipitate is headlong; falling steeply or vertically.

As a verb precipitate is

to make something happen suddenly and quickly; hasten.

As a noun precipitate is

a product resulting from a process, event, or course of action.

caustic

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Capable of burning, corroding or destroying organic tissue.
  • Sharp, bitter, cutting, biting, and sarcastic in a scathing way.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again;

    Synonyms

    * (capable of destroying tissue ): acidic, biting, burning, corrosive, searing * (severe, sharp ): bitchy, biting, catty, mordacious, nasty, sarcastic, scathing, sharp, spiteful

    Quotations

    * 1843': "How now!" said Scrooge, '''caustic and cold as ever. — Charles Dickens, ''A Christmas Carol * 1843': The bargain was not concluded as easily as might have been expected though, for Scadder was '''caustic and ill-humoured, and cast much unnecessary opposition in the way — Charles Dickens, ''Martin Chuzzlewit * 1853': Madame Beck esteemed me learned and blue; Miss Fanshawe, '''caustic , ironic, and cynical — Charlotte Bronte, ''Villette * 1857':The Secretary and the Assistant-Secretaries would say little '''caustic things about him to the senior clerks, and seemed somewhat to begrudge him his new honours. — Anthony Trollope, ''The Three Clerks * 1886': this set of worthies, who were only too prone to shut up their emotions with '''caustic words. — Thomas Hardy, ''The Mayor of Casterbridge * 1930s???': though he came too late / To join the martyrs, there was still a place / Among the tempters for a ' caustic tongue / / To test the resolution of the young / With tales of the small failings of the great — W.H.Auden, 'The Quest'

    Derived terms

    * caustic curve * caustic potash * caustic soda * caustic surface

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic.
  • (optics, computer graphics) The envelope of reflected or refracted rays of light for a given surface or object.
  • (mathematics) The envelope of reflected or refracted rays for a given curve.
  • (informal, chemistry) caustic soda

    • Derived terms

    * lunar caustic

    precipitate

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (obsolete)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Verb

    (precipitat)
  • To make something happen suddenly and quickly; hasten.
    • to precipitate a journey, or a conflict
  • * Glover
    • Back to his sight precipitates her steps.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • If they be daring, it may precipitate their designs, and prove dangerous.
  • To throw an object or person from a great height.
  • * Washington Irving
    • She and her horse had been precipitated to the pebbled region of the river.
  • To send violently into a certain state or condition.
  • (chemistry) To come out of a liquid solution into solid form.
    • Adding the acid will cause the salt to precipitate .
  • (chemistry) To separate a substance out of a liquid solution into solid form.
  • (meteorology) To have water in the air fall to the ground, for example as rain, snow, sleet, or hail; be deposited as condensed droplets.
    • It will precipitate tomorrow, but we don't know whether as rain or snow.
  • To cause (water in the air) to condense or fall to the ground.
  • * Washington Irving
    • The light vapour of the preceding evening had been precipitated by the cold.
    Synonyms
    * (l)
    Derived terms
    * precipitated * precipitator * red precipitate * white precipitate
    Related terms
    * precipice * precipitation

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A product resulting from a process, event, or course of action.
  • (chemistry) A solid that exits the liquid phase of a solution.

    • Etymology 3

    From (etyl)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • headlong; falling steeply or vertically.
  • * Prior
    • Precipitate the furious torrent flows.
  • Very steep; precipitous.
  • With a hasty impulse; hurried; headstrong.
  • Moving with excessive speed or haste.
    • The king was too precipitate in declaring war.
    a precipitate case of disease
  • Performed very rapidly or abruptly.
    • Derived terms
    * precipitately * precipitateness

    Related terms

    * precipitous

    External links

    * * *

    Anagrams

    * English heteronyms ----