praeceps

praeceps, cĭpĭtis (old form praecĭ-pes, cĭpis, Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 8; id. et Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 725 P. (Ann. v. 391 Vahl.; abl. praecipiti), adj. [prae-caput].

I.

Lit., headforemost, headlong (class.):

praecipitem trahi,

Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 79:

aliquem praecipitem deicere,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 40, § 86:

praeceps ad terram datus,

dashed to the ground, Liv. 31, 37:

praeceps curru ab alto Desilit,

Ov. M. 12, 128:

hic se praecipitem tecto dedit,

threw himself headlong from the roof, Hor. S. 1, 2, 41:

aliquem in praeceps jacere,

headlong, Tac. A. 4, 22; so,

jacto in praeceps corpore,

id. ib. 6, 49; cf.:

in praeceps deferri,

Liv. 5, 47.—For in praeceps, in late Lat., per praeceps occurs:

abiit grex per praeceps in mare,

Vulg. Matt. 8, 32; id. Judic. 5, 22.—Hence, of one going rapidly, headforemost, headlong:

de ponte Ire praecipitem in lutum per caputque pedesque,

Cat. 17, 9:

se jacere praecipitem e vertice,

id. 63, 244; Verg. A. 5, 860:

ab equo praeceps decidit,

Ov. Ib. 259:

(apes) praecipites Cadunt,

Verg. G. 4, 80:

aliquem praecipitem agere,

to drive headlong, Cic. Caecin. 21, 60; Verg. A. 5, 456:

praecipites se fugae mandabant,

Caes. B. G. 2, 24:

Monoeten In mare praecipitem deturbat,

Verg. A. 5, 175; cf.:

praeceps amensque cucurri,

Ov. M. 7, 844:

praeceps Fertur,

is borne headlong, rushes, Hor. S. 1, 4, 30:

nuntii,

Tac. H. 2, 6.—

B.

Transf., of inanim. things.

1.

Of localities, qs. that descend suddenly in front, i. e. downhill, steep, precipitous:

in declivi ac praecipiti loco,

Caes. B. G. 4, 33:

via (opp. plana),

Cic. Fl. 42, 105:

saxa,

Liv. 38, 23:

fossae,

Ov. M. 1, 97; Verg. A. 11, 888:

iter,

Ov. Tr. 4, 3, 74; cf.

trop.: iter ad malum praeceps ac lubricum,

Cic. Rep. 1, 28, 44:

loci,

Col. 1, 2:

mons,

Plin. Pan. 16.—

b.

Subst.: praeceps, cĭpĭtis, n., a steep place, a precipice:

turrim in praecipiti stantem,

Verg. A. 2, 460:

specus vasto in praeceps hiatu,

Plin. 2, 45, 44, § 115:

in praeceps pervenitur,

Vell. 2, 3, 4:

immane,

Juv. 10, 107:

altissimum,

App. M. 4, p. 144 med. —In plur.:

in praecipitia cursus iste deducit,

Sen. Ep. 8, 4.—

2.

Sinking, declining:

(in vitibus) praecipites palmites dicuntur, qui de hornotinis virgis enati in duro alligantur,

Col. 5, 6, 33:

sol Praecipitem lavit aequore currum,

Verg. G. 3, 359:

jam praeceps in occasum sol erat,

Liv. 10, 42:

dies,

id. 4, 9; cf.:

senectus,

Curt. 6, 5, 3. —

3.

In gen., swift, rapid, rushing, violent ( poet.;

syn.: celer, velox): praeceps Anio,

Hor. C. 1, 7, 13:

Boreas,

Ov. M. 2, 185:

nox,

fleeting, transient, id. ib. 9, 485:

procella,

Stat. Th. 5, 419:

oceani fragor,

Val. Fl. 3, 404:

letum,

Sen. Hippol. 262:

remedium,

Curt. 3, 6, 2.—

II.

Trop., headlong, hasty, rash, precipitate.

A.

In gen. (class.):

noster erus, qui scelestus sacerdotem anum praecipes Reppulit,

Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 10:

sol jam praecipitans me quoque haec praecipitem paene evolvere coëgit,

almost headlong, precipitately, Cic. de Or. 3, 55, 209:

agunt eum praecipitem poenae civium Romanorum,

chase, pursue, id. Verr. 2, 1, 3, § 7:

praecipitem amicum ferri sinere,

to rush into the abyss, id. Lael. 24, 89:

quoniam ab inimicis praeceps agor,

am pursued, Sall. C. 31, 9:

praeceps celeritas dicendi,

Cic. Fl. 20, 48: profectio, Att. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 10, 6: occumbunt multi letum... praecipe cursu, in rapid destruction, Enn. l. l.—With gen.:

SI NON FATORVM PRAECEPS HIC MORTIS OBISSET,

sudden as regards fate, Inscr. Grut. 695, 9, emended by Minervini in Bullet. Arch. Napol. III. 1845, p. 41 (but Minervini's assumption of a new adj., praeceps, from praecipio, anticipating fale, is unnecessary).—

B.

In partic.

1.

Rash, hasty, inconsiderate:

homo in omnibus consiliis praeceps,

Cic. Phil. 5, 13, 37: praeceps et effrenata mens, id. Cael. 15, 35:

praeceps consilium et immaturum,

Suet. Aug. 8:

cogitatio,

id. Calig. 48:

audacia,

Val. Max. 1, 6, 7.—

2.

Inclined to any thing:

praeceps in avaritiam et crudelitatem animus,

Liv. 26, 38:

praeceps ingenio in iram,

id. 23, 7:

animus ad flagitia praeceps,

Tac. A. 16, 21.—

3.

Dangerous, hazardous, critical:

in tam praecipiti tempore,

Ov. F. 2, 400.—Hence,

b.

Subst.: praeceps, cĭpĭtis, n.

(α).

Great danger, extremity, extreme danger, critical circumstances:

se et prope rem publicam in praeceps dederat,

brought into extreme danger, Liv. 27, 27:

levare Aegrum ex praecipiti,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 292:

aeger est in praecipiti,

Cels. 2, 6.—

(β).

The highest part, summit, sublimity (postAug.):

omne in praecipiti vitium stetit,

at its point of culmination, Juv. 1, 149:

debet orator erigi, attolli, efferri, ac saepe accedere ad praeceps,

to verge on the sublime, Plin. Ep. 9, 26, 2.—Hence, adv.: prae-ceps, headlong.

1.

Lit.:

aliquem praeceps trahere,

Tac. A. 4, 62:

ex his fulgoribus quaedam praeceps eunt, similia prosilientibus stellis,

Sen. Q. N. 1, 15, 2:

moles convulsa dum ruit intus immensam vim mortalium praeceps trahit atque operit,

Tac. A. 4, 62:

toto praeceps se corpore ad undas Misit,

Verg. A. 4, 253.—

2.

Trop.:

eversio rei familiaris dignitatem ac famam praeceps dabat,

brought into danger, Tac. A. 6, 17:

praeceps in exsilium acti,

suddenly, hastily, Amm. 29, 1, 21.