risk

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English[edit]

Wikisource
See also the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica's article on:
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From earlier risque, from Middle French risque, from Italian risco (“risk”) (modern Italian rischio) and rischiare (“to run into danger”).

speculation on earlier roots

Most dictionaries consider the etymology of these Italian terms uncertain, but some suggest they perhaps come from Vulgar Latin *resicum (“that which cuts, rock, crag”) (> Medieval Latin resicu), from Latin resecō (“cut off, loose, curtail”, verb), in the sense of that which is a danger to boating or shipping; or from Ancient Greek ῥιζικόν (rhizikón, “root, radical, hazard”).

A few dictionaries express more certainty. Collins says the Italian risco comes from Ancient Greek ῥίζα (rhíza, “cliff”) due to the hazards of sailing along rocky coasts. The American Heritage says it probably comes from Byzantine Greek ῥιζικό, ριζικό (rhizikó, rizikó, “sustenance obtained by a soldier through his own initiative, fortune”), from Arabic رِزْق‎ (rizq, “sustenance, that which God allots”), from Classical Syriac ܪܘܙܝܩܐ ,ܪܙܩܐ‎ (rezqā, rōzīqā, “daily ration”), from Middle Persian [script needed] (rōčig), from Middle Persian [script needed] (rōč, “day”), from Old Persian [script needed] (*raučah-), from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-.

Cognate with Spanish riesgo, Portuguese risco

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

risk (countable and uncountable, plural risks)

  1. (countable) A possible adverse event or outcome
    Synonyms: danger, peril, hazard&
    • 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 7, in The History of England from the Accession of James II:
      the imminent and constant risk of assassination, a risk which has shaken very strong nerves
    • 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 probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event.
    There is risk of being brutalized, arrested, imprisoned and tortured, all because I want you to know the truth about this matter.
    • 1994, S. I. Bhuiyan, (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎[2], page 36:
      What crop(s) to plant, how much area to devote to each crop, and how much risk to take with respect to rainfall during the season are some of the decisions that must be made.
    • 2006, Trever Ramsey on BBC News website, Exercise 'cuts skin cancer risk' read at [3] on 14 May 2006
    • 2013 June 22, “Snakes and ladders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 76:
      Risk is everywhere. From tabloid headlines insisting that coffee causes cancer (yesterday, of course, it cured it) to stern government warnings about alcohol and driving, the world is teeming with goblins. For each one there is a frighteningly precise measurement of just how likely it is to jump from the shadows and get you.
      Taking regular exercise, coupled with a healthy diet, reduced the risk of several types of cancer.
    • 2012 January 1, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in 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. The magnitude of possible loss consequent to a decision or event.
    • 2004 April 23, “American Families at Risk”, in The American Prospect‎[4]:
      Will they find the prospect of greater risk a cause for concern, rather than a gift from the right?
    • 2012 December 12, “Hekia Parata will not appeal Salisbury decision”, in Manawatu Standard:
      The decision was also unlawful in disregarding the prospect of greater risk of sexual or physical abuse to girls at a co-educational residential school
    • 2006, R. Packer, The Politics of BSE‎[5], page 196:
      SEAC acknowledged that their recommendation was a somewhat uneasy compromise between the desire to protect the public from a small chance of a big risk and the desire not to ruin an industry, probably unnecessarily.
  4. (formal use in business, engineering, etc.) The potential (conventionally negative) effect of an event, determined by combining the likelihood of the event occurring with the effect should it occur.
    • 2002, Decisioneering Inc website, What is risk? read at [6] 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.
  5. (countable, insurance) An entity insured by an insurer or the specific uncertain events that the insurer underwrites.

Hyponyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

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 Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb[edit]

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

  1. (transitive) To incur risk of (something).
    • 2006, Transportation Alternatives website, Rail delays as thieves cut power read at [7] 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.
  2. (transitive) To incur risk of harming or jeopardizing.
    • 2006, BBC Sport website, Beckham wary over Rooney comeback read at [8] 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.
  3. (transitive) To incur risk as a result of (doing something).
    • 1999, BBC News website, Volunteer of the Month: Andrew Hay McConnell read at [9] on 14 May 2006
      After coming to New York, I decided to risk cycling again.

Usage notes[edit]

Translations[edit]

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 Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • risk at OneLook Dictionary Search
  • risk in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
  • risk in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • Wikipedia-logo-v2.svg risk on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams[edit]

Czech[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

risk m

  1. (informal) risk

Further reading[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

risk c

  1. risk

Declension[edit]

Declension of risk 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative risk risken risker riskerna
Genitive risks riskens riskers riskernas

Anagrams[edit]

Westrobothnian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Old Norse hressa (“be facetious”), Helsingian ressa (“be unruly, very cheerful and lively”), Norwegian rissa (“be noisy, crazy”).

Verb[edit]

risk (preterite riskä)

  1. (intransitive) To wrestle, play, joke, amuse oneself.
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