Precariously
/prɪˈker.i.əs.li/noun
In a dangerously unstable or uncertain way.
Did you know?Its ancestor Latin precarius meant “obtained by entreaty or prayer,” so the word’s deepest root is about begging for something only briefly granted.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*prek-
“to ask, entreat, pray”
Classical Latin
Latin
precari
“to pray, beg, entreat”
Classical Latin
Latin
precarius
“obtained by prayer; dependent on the will of another; held by favor”
Late Latin
Latin
precarius + -osus / precarie
“in a dependent, uncertain manner”
Middle English
English
precarious
“dependent on chance; uncertain, insecure”
Modern English
English
precariously
“in a dangerously unstable or uncertain way”