PRECARIOUS


Meaning of PRECARIOUS in English

/ 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 ]

••

WORD ORIGIN

mid 17th cent.: from Latin precarius obtained by entreaty (from prex , prec- prayer) + -ous .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.