precipice

precipitous |prɪˈsɪpɪtəs|
adjective
1 dangerously high or steep: the track skirted a precipitous drop.
• (of a change to a worse situation or condition) sudden and dramatic: a precipitous slide in the government’s popularity.
2 (of an action) done suddenly and without careful consideration: precipitous intervention.
DERIVATIVES
precipitously adverb,
precipitousness noun
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from obsolete French précipiteux, from Latin praeceps, praecip(it)- ‘steep, headlong’ (see precipitate) .