risk

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• risque (archaic)

Etymology

From earlier risque, from Middle French risque, from Italian risco ("risk"; > Modern Italian rischio) and rischiare ("to run into danger"). Most dictionaries consider the etymology of these Italian terms uncertain, but some suggest they perhaps come from 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 [script needed] ‎(rizq, “sustenance, that which God allots”), from Syriac [script needed] ‎(ruziqā, “daily bread”), 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

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪsk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: RISC, risque (rare dialect)
• Rhymes: -ɪsk

Noun

risk ‎(plural risks)

1. A possible, usually negative, outcome, e.g., a danger.
   • Macaulay

     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.

   • 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.

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”, 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. (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 [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

• Armenian: ռիսկ (hy) ‎(ṙisk)
• Catalan: risc (ca) m
• Czech: riziko (cs) n
• Danish: risiko (da) c
• Dutch: risico (nl) n
• Finnish: riski (fi)
• French: risque (fr) m
• Friulian: riscjo m
• Galician: risco m
• German: Risiko (de) n
• Greek: κίνδυνος (el) m ‎(kíndynos), ρίσκο (el) n ‎(rísko)
• Ido: risko (io)
• Italian: rischio (it) m
• Japanese: リスク (ja) ‎(risuku)
• Korean: 위험 (ko) ‎(wiheom)

• Macedonian: ризик m ‎(rizik)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: risiko m, risk (no) m

  Nynorsk: risiko m, risk m

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

likelihood of a negative outcome

• Armenian: ռիսկ (hy) ‎(ṙisk)
• Catalan: risc (ca) m
• Czech: riziko (cs) n
• Danish: risiko (da) c
• Dutch: risico (nl) n
• Finnish: riski (fi)
• French: risque (fr)
• Greek: κίνδυνος (el) m ‎(kíndynos), πιθανότητα (el) f ‎(pithanótita)
• Ido: risko (io)
• Japanese: リスク (ja) ‎(risuku)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: risiko m, risk (no) m

  Nynorsk: risiko m, risk m

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

potential (conventionally negative) impact of an event

• Armenian: ռիսկ (hy) ‎(ṙisk)
• Catalan: risc (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: risiko (da) c
• Dutch: risico (nl) n
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: riski (fi)
• Greek: κίνδυνος (el) m ‎(kíndynos)
• Japanese: リスク (ja) ‎(risuku)
• Khmer: ហានិយភ័យ ‎(haani’pʰey), គ្រោះថ្នាក់ (km) ‎(krʊək tnak)
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: risiko m, risk (no) m

  Nynorsk: risiko m, risk m

• Polish: ryzyko (pl) n
• Portuguese: risco (pt) m
• Romanian: risc (ro) n
• Scottish Gaelic: cunnart m
• Serbo-Croatian: rìzik (sh) m, opasnost (sh)
• Slovak: riziko n
• Slovene: tveganje (sl) n
• Swedish: risk (sv) c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can

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: ^{(please verify)} risico n
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} risko
• French: ^{(please verify)} risque m
• German: ^{(please verify)} Risiko n
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} áhætta f

• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} risco
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} rischio m
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} riesgo m, ^{(please verify)} 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, riskeren (nl)
• Finnish: vaarantaa (fi), riskeerata (fi)
• Greek: διακινδυνεύω (el) ‎(diakindynévo), ριψοκινδυνεύω (el) ‎(ripsokindynévo), ρισκάρω (el) ‎(riskáro), διακυβεύω (el) ‎(diakyvévo), θέτω σε κίνδυνο ‎(théto se kíndyno)
• Italian: rischiare (it)

• Latin: audeo
• Norman: ristchi
• Persian: به خطر انداختن ‎(be xatar andâxtan)
• Polish: ryzykować (pl), zaryzykować (pl)
• Portuguese: arriscar (pt), pôr em risco
• Romanian: risca (ro)
• Slovene: tvegati (sl)
• Spanish: arriesgar (es)
• Swedish: riskera (sv), äventyra (sv)

to incur risk of something

• Catalan: arriscar (ca)
• Dutch: risico nemen, riskeren (nl)
• Finnish: ottaa riski
• Greek: διατρέχω τον κίνδυνο ‎(diatrécho ton kíndyno), διακινδυνεύω (el) ‎(diakindynévo)
• Latin: audeo
• Persian: خطر کردن (fa) ‎(xatar kardan), دل به دریا زدن ‎(del be daryâ zadan), ریسک کردن ‎(risk kardan)

• Polish: ryzykować (pl), zaryzykować (pl)
• Portuguese: arriscar (pt)
• Romanian: risca (ro)
• Slovene: tvegati (sl)
• Swedish: riskera (sv)

to incur risk by something

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

• Polish: ryzykować (pl), zaryzykować (pl)
• Portuguese: arriscar (pt)
• Romanian: risca (ro)
• Russian: рискова́ть (ru) ‎(riskovátʹ)
• 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: ^{(please verify)} riskeren, ^{(please verify)} wagen
• German: ^{(please verify)} riskieren, ^{(please verify)} wagen
• Interlingua: mitter in risco

• Spanish: arriesgar, poner en riesgo
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} riskera, ^{(please verify)} ta en risk

See also

• roll the dice, take a chance

Anagrams

• irks, kirs, Kris, kris

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Noun

risk c

1. risk

Declension

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