Definition of "precipitant" [pre•cip•i•tant]

• Rushing or falling headlong. (adjective)
• Acting with or marked by impulsiveness in thought or action; rash. See Usage Note at precipitate. (adjective)
• Abrupt or unexpected; sudden. (adjective)
• Chemistry A substance that causes a precipitate to form when it is added to a solution. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The precipitant was his involvement in an incident of stealing in a department store, following which he was put on probation."
• ""Unemployment is very often the precipitant or at least a contributor to family homicides," Mr. Fox said."
• "Kevin Rexroad, M.D., a psychiatrist in New Mexico, stressed that the pain of divorce should not be underestimated when considering its impact on children or whether it can be factored in as a precipitant to violence:"