Precipitation: meaning, definitions and examples

This word is often used in scientific or meteorological contexts when talking about any form of water, such as rain, snow, or sleet, that falls from the sky.

• The weather forecast predicts heavy precipitation for the weekend.
• Precipitation levels have been decreasing due to climate change.

This word is common when specifically talking about the amount of rain that falls over a certain period or area. It is frequently used in weather reports and agriculture.

• Annual rainfall in this region is quite low.
• The heavy rainfall has helped the farmers this season.

Use this word when referring to a sudden and very heavy rainstorm. It often has an intense and somewhat unexpected connotation.

• We got caught in a downpour on our way home.
• The downpour flooded the streets within minutes.

This is a shortened and informal version of 'precipitation,' commonly used in casual conversation or in written weather reports.

• There’s a lot of precip expected later this week.
• The weather app shows heavy precip tonight.

In a chemistry context, it describes the process where a solid is formed in a solution during a chemical reaction.

• The addition of the reagent caused immediate precipitation.
• Precipitation can be used to isolate specific compounds from a solution.

Typically used in geology or hydrology to describe the process of particles settling out of a fluid to form layers of sediment on the bottom.

• Sedimentation in rivers can lead to the formation of deltas.
• The sedimentation process in lakes can reveal historical climate data.

This is used in scientific contexts, particularly in chemistry and geology, to describe the process where a solid forms with an organized structure of atoms or molecules.

• Crystallization of salt from seawater can be done by simply evaporating the water.
• The crystallization process in sugar production is monitored closely.

This term is used to describe the process of a liquid turning into a solid, often by cooling.

• The solidification of lava can form new rock structures.
• Solidification of molten metal is crucial in metallurgy.