Precipitano

Precipitano is the third person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb precipitare. It can indicate a physical fall or an action that causes a fall, depending on the context. In everyday language it describes something moving downward quickly, such as rain or objects: a common example is Le gocce di pioggia precipitano dal tetto (The raindrops precipitate from the roof).

In scientific and technical usage, precipitano refers to the formation of a solid from a solution, i.e., the appearance of a precipitate during a chemical reaction or when a solution becomes saturated. For instance, I sali precipitano dalla soluzione when a salt falls out of solution as a solid. The verb can also be used in a figurative sense to indicate rapid advancement or acceleration of events, as in una decisione che precipitò gli sviluppi (a decision that precipitated the developments).

Etymology traces precipitare to the Latin praecipitare, from praecipit-, from praecipitāre “to throw headlong,” itself from prae- “before” and capere “to take” or seize. The Italian form preserves the sense of throwing forward or downward, which underpins its various meanings of falling, hastening, or causing a rapid change.

Translations of the sense include “to precipitate” in English, with related senses such as “to fall headlong,” “to hasten,” or “to cause to form a precipitate” in chemical contexts. The form precipitano is predominantly used in present tense narrative and description to indicate that multiple subjects are performing the action.