Precarity
/prɪˈkær.ɪ.ti/noun
The state of being insecure, unstable, or uncertain.
Did you know?Its ancestor in Latin, precarius, meant “obtained by prayer or entreaty,” showing how a word tied to pleading and dependence later became the language of instability and vulnerability.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
precarius
“obtained by prayer, entreaty, or favor; dependent on the will of another”
Late Latin
Latin
precaria
“a thing granted at request; something held by favor”
Old French
Old French
precarité
“uncertainty, instability; condition held by favor rather than right”
14th–15th Century
English
precarite / precaritee
“uncertain tenure or dependence on another's favor”
Modern English
English
precarity
“a condition of instability, insecurity, or lack of permanence”