/ prɪˈkeəriəs; NAmE -ˈker-/ adjective
1.
( of a situation ) not safe or certain; dangerous :
He earned a precarious living as an artist.
The museum is in a financially precarious position.
2.
likely to fall or cause sb to fall :
That ladder looks very precarious.
The path down to the beach is very precarious in wet weather.
► pre·car·ious·ly adverb :
The economy is precariously close to recession.
He balanced the glass precariously on the arm of his chair.
► pre·car·ious·ness noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from Latin precarius obtained by entreaty (from prex , prec- prayer) + -ous .