Precariousness
/prɪˈkɛə.ri.əs.nəs/noun
The state of being uncertain, unstable, or dangerously likely to change or fail.
Did you know?Precarious comes from Latin precarius, meaning “obtained by entreaty,” from precari, “to pray or beg,” so the word’s deepest root is literally tied to pleading for mercy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*prek-
“to ask, entreat, pray”
Latin
Latin
precari
“to pray, beg, ask earnestly”
Latin
Latin
precarius
“obtained by request; depending on the will of another; uncertain”
Late Latin
Latin
precariōsus
“full of uncertainty; held at someone else's pleasure”
Middle French
Old French
precaire / précaire
“dependent, uncertain, held by sufferance”
16th Century
English
precarious
“dependent on chance or uncertain support”
Modern English
English
precariousness
“the quality or state of being precarious”