hasard

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French hasard, from Old French hasart, from Old Spanish azar, from Arabic اَلزَّهْر (az-zahr, “flowers”), named after a game of dice where the winning side of the die had a flower on it. Compare modern Spanish azar, Italian zara. The initial h- was originally purely graphic, but became aspirated by analogy with other non-Latin words. The final -d/-t is also excrescent, perhaps influenced by the suffix -ard.

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /a.zaʁ/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

hasard m (plural hasards)

1. (usually in the singular) (random) chance

   Synonym: raccroc

2. a coincidence
3. hazard
4. (golf) hazard

Derived terms

• à tout hasard
• au hasard
• de hasard
• hasarder
• hasardeur
• hasardeux
• jeu de hasard
• laisser au hasard
• par hasard
• quel hasard

Descendants

• Haitian Creole: aza

Further reading

• “hasard”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Middle English

Alternative forms

• hasarde, hassard, hazarde, aserd

Etymology

From Old French hasart, from Arabic اَلزَّهْر (az-zahr, “the dice”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhazard/, /ˈhazərd/

Noun

hasard

1. hazard (dice game, often gambled on)
2. (rare) An individual who plays hazard.
3. (rare) A crafty individual.

Related terms

• hasardour
• hasardrie

Descendants

• English: hazard

References

• “hasard, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 8 July 2019.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From French hasard, from Spanish azar, from Arabic اَلزَّهْر (az-zahr, “the dice”).

Noun

hasard m (definite singular hasarden, indefinite plural hasarder, definite plural hasardene)

1. gambling, game of chance
2. a hazard, risk

Derived terms

• hasardspill

References

• “hasard” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “hasard” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From French hasard, from Spanish azar, from Arabic اَلزَّهْر (az-zahr, “the dice”).

Noun

hasard m (definite singular hasarden, indefinite plural hasardar, definite plural hasardane)

1. gambling, game of chance
2. a hazard, risk

Derived terms

• hasardspel

References

• “hasard” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from French hasard.

Noun

hasard c

1. a game of chance (for example lottery, roulette, and dice games)

   Synonym: hasardspel

3. a gamble (a risky venture)

   Synonym: vågspel

4. chance (random occurrence)
   • 1922, Hjalmar Söderberg, Ödestimmen [The Hour of Destiny]‎^[1], Albert Bonniers förlag, accessed at Litteraturbanken.se, courtesy of Göteborgs universitetsbibliotek, archived from the original on 1 October 2025:

     Det finns ingen hasard i historien – tro aldrig det! Ingen slump i historien!

     There is no chance in history—never believe that! No happenstance in history!

Declension

Declension of hasard

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	hasard	hasards
	definite	hasarden	hasardens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Derived terms

• spela hasard

References

• “hasard”, in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker [Dictionaries of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• hasard in Walter E. Harlock, Svensk-engelsk ordbok : skolupplaga (1964)