Word | precarious |
---|---|
Date | September 17, 2021 |
Type | adjective |
Syllables | prih-KAIR-ee-us |
Etymology | "This little happiness is so very precarious, that it wholly depends on the will of others." Joseph Addison, in a 1711 issue of Spectator magazine, couldn't have described the oldest sense of precarious more precisely—the original meaning of the word was "depending on the will or pleasure of another." Precarious comes from a Latin word meaning "obtained by entreaty," which itself is from the word for prayer, prex. |
Examples | "Staff may be anxious about returning to the office and want to be assured of their safety while leaders are in the precarious position of having to make what they think is the right call." — Bernard Coleman, Inc., 18 Aug. 2021 |
Definition | Precarious means "characterized by uncertainty, insecurity, or instability that threatens with danger." // College debt leaves many students in a precarious financial situation after graduation. // The books were stacked high in a precarious tower. |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Exonerate verb meaning exonerated blame september ig-zah-nuh-rayt latin
Previous card: Vignette noun century september vin-yet middle french vigne
Up to card list: Word of the Day