Definition of "precipitator"

[…] those of that sect […] that call’d themselves by that name of Zealots, and withal, took upon them to be the saviours and preservers of the City, but as it prov’d, the hastners & precipitators of the destruction of that Kingdom […]

1675, Henry Hammond, Sermons Preached by […] Henry Hammond‎, London: Robert Pawlet, Sermon 5, p. 65

Even the most wanton precipitators of war always try to give it, in the eyes of the common people, a defensive character.

1918, Harold Goddard, chapter 3, in Morale‎, New York: George H. Doran, page 58

Wherever one looks the rate of change on the international scene has achieved dizzying proportions, often with ominous overtones for United States interests. What is frequently overlooked, however, is that American behavior may be one of the greatest precipitators of this growing instability.

1975 April 11, Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., “Uncle Sam: No More Mr. Nice Guy”, in The New York Times

[…] the most common precipitator of workplace violence is a layoff or firing.

2002, Wayne F. Cascio, chapter 3, in Responsible Restructuring‎, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, page 34