a very steep side of a high cliff, mountain or rock(figurative)The country was now on the edge of a precipice(= very close to disaster).see alsoprecipitousWordfindermountainaltitude,foothill,mountain,peak,precipice,ridge,slope,summit,valley,volcanoSee related entries:Mountains and valleysWord Originlate 16th cent. (denoting a headlong fall): from French précipice or Latin praecipitium ‘abrupt descent’, from praeceps, praecip(it)- ‘steep, headlong’.Extra examplesShe paused on the edge of the precipice for a moment, then drew back.The car was almost forced off a precipice.teetering on the precipice of political anarchy
See precipice in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
