Precipice

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, this is Philippe.

Philippe, where are you calling us from?

I am calling from Eureka, California.

My local radio station is KHSU Arcana, Humboldt State University.

Welcome to the show, Philippe. How can we help?

Well, I hear a lot of people using the word precipice in sports, in politics, and trying to mean that we are on the precipice, which means that we’re getting ready to have a big event. Precipice is a French word, and precipice is actually a hole in the ground, a chasm. And if you’re on the precipice, you are crashing, you’re falling, and it’s not good news. My question to you is, did the meaning change when it went from the French word to the Americanized version, or is it bad use of that word? I mean, in French, you’re always on the edge of the precipice, but you’re not on the precipice.

Interesting.

That’s a really great question. We did get this from the French. The English speakers got this from the French speakers about 400 years ago, but it wasn’t much before that that it entered French itself from Latin, at least according to Le Petit Robert Dictionary, which is the one that I use. What’s even more interesting to me is if you look this word up in a big dictionary, when it has all the different meanings of precipice in English, you will find that it does allow you to use it to mean the hole itself, not just the edge of the hole or the cliff that surrounds an abyss or the cliff that surrounds a valley or that sort of thing.

But you’re right. You’re totally right. In English, we’re more likely to think of it as the lip itself, as that very highest point where you step one foot forward and you’re going down to your death, right? That’s how we’re talking about. So if you’re on the precipice, are you actually falling or are you right at the edge? If you looked it up in French, I suspect that you will find, I think both exist in French as well. It either means that you are about to fail, like it’s inevitable that you will fail, or that there’s a chance that you could fail if certain conditions happen.

Yeah, actually, I did look at it before the show here, and it is the hole. So if you’re on the precipice, you’re failing, you’re falling. You’re done already.

Yeah, you’re in real trouble. There’s a pretty funny quote by a politician way back then. He was saying that France was on the edge of the precipice, and if he was elected, we would take a step forward. Which was a terrible way to say. It’s the worst thing to say, but it didn’t hurt him. He got elected, but still, it’s one of those things. So, yeah, it’s a funny meaning for me. When I hear it here and we are on the precipice, it’s usually pretty bad news.

I mean, you really nailed something here. I mean, we’re talking about 400 years of divergent history. I think it’s amazing that the words are as alike as they are because we’ve had centuries for this word to change in both languages even more dramatically than they have.

That’s so interesting. All the mountain hiking I do, I think of precipice as being something way up high rather than…

Right, but way up high with like chance of death just beyond.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, don’t back up too far to take that cell phone. Grand Canyon, you know, chasm, you know, vertical drops. Yeah, it’s usually a very, very dire situation. If you’re falling in the precipice, you’re in serious trouble.

Well, cool. Thank you so much, Philippe. We really appreciate your call.

Well, thank you very much. Take care now.

Okay, bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

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