risk

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Latin resicum, risicum, riscus : cliff, récif, is the direct formal origin for Italian risico, risco, rischio, Spanish riesgo, French risque and Portuguese risco. Latin word comes from a Greek navigation term rhizikon, rhiza which meant "root, stone, cut of the firm land" and was a metaphor for "difficulty to avoid in the sea". This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: RISC; risque (rare dialect)
• Rhymes: brisk, frisk, whisk

Noun

risk (plural risks)

1. A possible, usually negative, outcome, e.g., a danger.
   • 2006, BBC News website, Farmers warned over skin cancer read at [1] on 14 May 2006

     There was also a "degree of complacency" that the weather in the country was not good enough to present a health risk.

2. The likelihood of a negative outcome.
   • 2006, Trever Ramsey on BBC News website, Exercise 'cuts skin cancer risk' read at [2] on 14 May 2006

     Taking regular exercise, coupled with a healthy diet, reduced the risk of several types of cancer.

   • 2012 January 1, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, page 60: 

     Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.

3. (Formal use in business, engineering, etc.) The potential (conventionally negative) impact of an event, determined by combining the likelihood of the event occurring with the impact should it occur.
   • 2002, Decisioneering Inc website, What is risk? read at [3] on 14 May 2006

     If there is a 25% chance of running over schedule, costing you a $100 out of your own pocket, that might be a risk you are willing to take. But if you have a 5% chance of running overschedule, knowing that there is a $10,000 penalty, you might be less willing to take that risk.

Derived terms

Terms derived from risk (noun)

market risk credit risk currency risk operational risk

political risk financial risk residual risk health risk

inflation risk risk management risk assessment risk analysis

Translations

possible, usually negative, outcome

• Catalan: risc (ca) m
• Czech: riziko (cs) n
• Danish: risiko (da) c
• Dutch: risico (nl) n
• Finnish: riski (fi)
• Galician: risco (gl) m
• Ido: risko (io)
• Italian: rischio (it) m
• Japanese: リスク (ja) (risuku)
• Korean: 위험 (ko)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: risiko (nb) m, risk (nb) m

  Nynorsk: risiko (nn) m, risk (nn) m

• Polish: ryzyko (pl) n, zagrożenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: risco (pt) m
• Romanian: risc (ro) n
• Russian: риск (ru) (risk) m
• Scottish Gaelic: cunnart (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian: rìzik (sh) m
• Slovak: riziko (sk) n
• Slovene: tveganje (sl) n
• Spanish: riesgo (es) m
• Swedish: risk (sv) c

likelihood of a negative outcome

• Catalan: risc (ca) m
• Czech: riziko (cs) n
• Danish: risiko (da) c
• Dutch: risico (nl) n
• Finnish: riski (fi)
• Ido: risko (io)
• Japanese: リスク (ja) (risuku)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: risiko (nb) m, risk (nb) m

  Nynorsk: risiko (nn) m, risk (nn) m

• Polish: ryzyko (pl) n
• Romanian: risc (ro) n
• Serbo-Croatian: rìzik (sh) m, opasnost (sh)
• Slovak: riziko (sk) n
• Slovene: tveganje (sl) n
• Swedish: risk (sv) c

potential (conventionally negative) impact of an event

• Catalan: risc (ca) m
• Danish: risiko (da) c
• Dutch: risico (nl) n
• Finnish: riski (fi)
• Japanese: リスク (ja) (risuku)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: risiko (nb) m, risk (nb) m

  Nynorsk: risiko (nn) m, risk (nn) m

• Polish: ryzyko (pl) n
• Romanian: risc (ro) n
• Scottish Gaelic: cunnart (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian: rìzik (sh) m, opasnost (sh)
• Slovak: riziko (sk) n
• Slovene: tveganje (sl) n
• Swedish: risk (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: risico n
• Esperanto: risko
• French: risque m
• German: Risiko n
• Greek: κίνδυνος (cínðinos) m, διακινδύνευση (ðiacinðínefsi) f, διακύβευση (ðiacívefsi) f, ρίσκο (rísko) n, ρισκάρισμα (riskárizma) n

• Icelandic: áhætta f
• Interlingua: risco
• Italian: rischio m
• Portuguese: risco m
• Spanish: riesgo m, peligro m

Verb

risk (third-person singular simple present risks, present participle risking, simple past and past participle risked)

1. (transitive) To incur risk (to something).
   • 2006, BBC Sport website, Beckham wary over Rooney comeback read at [4] on 14 May 2006

     England captain David Beckham has warned Wayne Rooney not to risk his long-term future by rushing his return from injury.

2. (transitive) To incur risk (of something).
   • 2006, Transportation Alternatives website, Rail delays as thieves cut power read at [5] on 14 May 2006

     These people are putting themselves in danger by physically being on or near to the railway lines and risking serious injury.

3. (transitive) To incur risk (by something).
   • 1999, BBC News website, Volunteer of the Month: Andrew Hay McConnell read at [6] on 14 May 2006

     After coming to New York, I decided to risk cycling again.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Translations

to incur risk to something

• Catalan: arriscar (ca)
• Danish: risikere (da)
• Dutch: risico nemen (nl), riskeren (nl)
• Finnish: vaarantaa (fi), riskeerata (fi)
• Italian: rischiare (it)
• Jèrriais: ristchi

• Persian: به خطر انداختن (fa) (be xatar andâxtan)
• Polish: ryzykować (pl), zaryzykować (pl)
• Romanian: risca (ro)
• Slovene: tvegati (sl)
• Spanish: arriesgar (es)

to incur risk of something

• Catalan: arriscar (ca)
• Dutch: risico nemen (nl), riskeren (nl)
• Finnish: ottaa riski
• Persian: خطر کردن (fa) (xatar kardan), دل به دریا زدن (fa) (del be daryâ zadan), ریسک کردن (fa) (risk kardan)

• Polish: ryzykować (pl), zaryzykować (pl)
• Romanian: risca (ro)
• Slovene: tvegati (sl)

to incur risk by something

• Catalan: arriscar (ca)
• Dutch: risico nemen (nl), riskeren (nl)
• Finnish: ottaa riski
• Persian: خطر کردن (fa) (xatar kardan), دل به دریا زدن (fa) (del be daryâ zadan), ریسک کردن (fa) (risk kardan)

• Polish: ryzykować (pl), zaryzykować (pl)
• Romanian: risca (ro)
• Russian: рисковать (ru) (riskovat')
• Slovene: tvegati (sl)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: riskeren, wagen
• German: riskieren, wagen
• Greek: ριψοκινδυνεύω (ripsocinðinévo), διακινδυνεύω (ðiacinðinévo), διακυβεύω (ðiacivévo), ρισκάρω (riskáro)
• Interlingua: mitter in risco

• Portuguese: arriscar, pôr em risco
• Spanish: arriesgar, poner en riesgo
• Swedish: riskera, ta en risk

See also

• roll the dice, take a chance

Anagrams

• irks, kirs, Kris, kris

---

Swedish

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Noun

risk c

1. risk

Declension

Declension of risk

	singular		plural
Common	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	risk	risken	risker	riskerna
genitive	risks	riskens	riskers	riskernas