perilous (adj.)

c. 1300, "full of danger; risky; involving exposure to death, destruction or injury," also "spiritually dangerous," from Old French perillos "perilous, dangerous" (Modern French périlleux), from Latin periculosus "dangerous, hazardous," from periculum "a danger, attempt, risk," with instrumentive suffix -culum and first element from PIE *peri-tlo-, suffixed form of root *per- (3) "to try, risk." In Arthurian romances, the sege perilous (c. 1400) was the seat reserved for the knight who should achieve the quest of the Grail. Related: Perilously; perilousness.

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to perilous

parlous (adj.)

late 14c., "dangerous, alarming," a late Middle English contraction of perilous. Related: Parlously.

*per- (3)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to try, risk," an extended sense from root *per- (1) "forward," via the notion of "to lead across, press forward."

It forms all or part of: empiric; empirical; experience; experiment; expert; fear; parlous; peril; perilous; pirate.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Latin experiri "to try," periculum "trial, risk, danger;" Greek peira "trial, attempt, experience," empeiros "experienced;" Old Irish aire "vigilance;" Old English fær "calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack," German Gefahr "danger," Gothic ferja "watcher.

Trends of perilous

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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precarious

1640s, a legal word, "held through the favor of another," from Latin precarius "depending on favor, pertaining to entreaty, obtained by asking or praying," from prex (genitive precis) "entreaty, prayer" (from PIE root *prek- "to ask, entreat"). The notion of "dependent on the wil

precipice

Figuratively, "a perilous position," by 1650s. Earlier in English as a verb (1590s) meaning "fall to great depth."...

plight

Compare Old English plihtere "look-out man at the prow of a ship," plihtlic "perilous, dangerous."...

Euxine

name for the sea was akhshaena, literally "dark," probably in reference to the sudden, dangerous storms that make the sea perilous...

siege

The oldest sense preserved in archaic Siege Perilous (early 13c.), the vacant seat at Arthur's Round Table, according to...

adventure

The meaning developed through "risk; danger" (a trial of one's chances), c. 1300, and "perilous undertaking" (late 14c.)...

edge

Razor's edge as a perilous narrow path translates Greek epi xyrou akmes....

locomotive

1610s, "pertaining to movement," from French locomotif, from Latin loco "from a place" (ablative of locus "place;" see locus) + Late Latin motivus "moving" (see motive). From 1650s as "moving from place to place;" by 1814 as "having the power of moving by itself. The noun meaning

pirate

c. 1300 (mid-13c. as a surname), "a sea-robber, sea-plunderer, one who without authority and by violence seizes or interferes with the ship or property of another on the sea," especially one who is habitually engaged in such robbery or sails the seas for the robbery and plunder o

pragmatic

1610s, "meddlesome, impertinently busy," short for earlier pragmatical, or else from French pragmatique (15c.), from Latin pragmaticus "skilled in business or law," from Greek pragmatikos "fit for business, active, business-like; systematic," from pragma (genitive pragmatos) "a d

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updated on April 07, 2020

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Dictionary entries near perilous

pericope

peridot

perigee

perihelion

peril

perilous

perimeter

perinatal

perineum

period

periodic