precipice的词源

英文词源

precipice: precipice: [16] The etymological notion underlying precipice is of falling ‘headlong’. It comes via French précipice from Latin praecipitium ‘headlong fall, steep place’. This was derived from praecipitāre ‘throw headlong’ (source of English precipitate [16] and precipitous [17]), a verb based on the adjective praeceps ‘headlong, steep’. This in turn was a compound formed from the prefix prae- ‘in front’ and caput ‘head’ (source of English capital, captain, etc).
=> capital, captain, chief
precipice (n.): "steep face of rock," 1630s, from Middle French précipice, from Latin praecipitium "a steep place," literally "a fall or leap," from praeceps (genitive praecipitis) "steep, headlong, headfirst," from prae "before, forth" (see pre-) + caput "head" (see head (n.)). Earlier in English as a verb (1590s) meaning "fall to great depth."

pre-,在前，-cip,头，词源同cap,captain.即头在前，一头栽下，引申词义陡坡，陡崖，悬崖等。

该词的英语词源请访问找单词词源英文版：precipice 词源，precipice 含义。

前缀pre-表“前”，词根cip-表“头”；它本来指的是头下脚上的倒栽动作，这时相对于坠落的方向，头是在前面的。我一开始以为是说断崖的形状，像向前伸出的头一样呢，私心想着，那样就和同根词cape（海角）的逻辑类似了，海角就像头一样延伸进海中。