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Precipitation vs Deluge - What's the difference?

precipitation | deluge | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between precipitation and deluge

is that precipitation is any or all of the forms of water particles, whether liquid or solid, that fall from the atmosphere (e.g., rain, hail, snow or sleet). It is a major class of hydrometeor, but it is distinguished from cloud, fog, dew, rime, frost, etc., in that it must fall. It is distinguished from cloud and virga in that it must reach the ground while deluge is a great flood or rain.

As a verb deluge is

to flood with water.

As a proper noun Deluge is

the Biblical flood during the time of Noah.

precipitation

English

Noun

  • (meteorology) Any or all of the forms of water particles, whether liquid or solid, that fall from the atmosphere (e.g., rain, hail, snow or sleet). It is a major class of hydrometeor, but it is distinguished from cloud, fog, dew, rime, frost, etc., in that it must fall. It is distinguished from cloud and virga in that it must reach the ground.
  • A hurried headlong fall.
  • (countable, chemistry) A reaction that leads to the formation of a heavier solid in a lighter liquid; the precipitate so formed at the bottom of the container.
  • (figuratively) Unwise or rash rapidity; sudden haste.
    • had acted with some precipitation and had probably started out upon a wild-goose chase --

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * precipitately

    See also

    (wikipedia ) * haste * rashness

    deluge

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A great flood or rain.
    • The deluge continued for hours, drenching the land and slowing traffic to a halt.
  • An overwhelming amount of something; anything that overwhelms or causes great destruction.
    • The rock concert was a deluge of sound.
  • * Milton
    • A fiery deluge fed / With ever-burning sulphur unconsumed.
  • * Lowell
    • The little bird sits at his door in the sun, / Atilt like a blossom among the leaves, / And lets his illumined being o'errun / With the deluge of summer it receives.
  • (Military engineering) A damage control system on navy warships which is activated by excessive temperature within the Vertical Launching System.
  • * NAVEDTRA 14324A
    • In the event of a restrained firing or canister overtemperature condition, the deluge system sprays cooling water within the canister until the overtemperature condition no longer exists.

    Verb

  • To flood with water.
  • To overwhelm.
    • After the announcement, they were deluged with requests for more information.

    References

    * 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology , Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192830988

    See also

    * inundate ----