English → Latin
“precarious” in Latin
incertusuncertain, doubtful, not sure, unsure; not knowing, doubting (said of persons); not known, obscure (said of things)intūtusunguarded, defenceless; unsafe, dangerousīnfīdusuntrustworthy, incredible; disloyal, unfaithful; uncertain, unsafefirmusstrong, powerful; stable, firm; faithful, steadfast, true
The English word precarious itself goes back to Latin prex, through precārius.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
precarious
incertus: intutus: infidus: parum certus or firmus: ☞ precarius, “obtained by entreaty,” has not the meaning of our “precarious,” though it often approaches it, as opposed to “what is demanded as a right, “, etc. Vid: Latin Dictionary.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for precarious?
- The usual Latin words for “precarious” are incertus, intūtus, īnfīdus; also firmus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.