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pre·car·i·ous

(prĭ-kârē-əs)

adj.

1. Dangerously lacking in security or stability: a precarious posture; precarious footing on the ladder.

2. Subject to chance or unknown conditions: "His kingdom was still precarious; the Danes far from subdued" (Christopher Brooke).

3. Based on uncertain, unwarranted, or unproved premises: a precarious solution to a difficult problem.

4. Archaic Dependent on the will or favor of another.

[From Latin precārius, obtained by entreaty, uncertain, from precārī, to entreat; see PRAY.]

pre·cari·ous·ly adv.

pre·cari·ous·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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