English → Latin
“risk” in Latin
āleaa die; any game involving dice; the game of chanceperīculumtrial, experiment, attempt, proof, essay; risk, hazard, danger, peril; ruin, destructiondiscrīmendistinction, difference, discrimination; division, separation; decision, judgementvītalife; living, support, subsistence; a way of lifeexperiorto attempt, to try; to test, to put to the test, to find out, to prove; therefore, to make trial of a person or thing; tperīclitorto try, prove or test; to attempt; to be put in danger, to be imperiled
The English word risk itself goes back to Latin secō, through resecō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
risk
alea: periculum: discrimen (attended with danger): at my risk, meo periculo; meo Marte (☞ not meo proprio Marte). Risk of one’s life, vitae or mortis periculum (general term): vitae or salutis discrimen (dangerous situation in which one is placed, involving risk of life): capitis periculum or discrimen (when one is in danger of suffering capital punishment): at the risk of one’s life, cum capitis periculo: to run the risk of losing anything, de aliqua re in dubium venire (e.g., de civitate, Cic., Caecin., 7, 18): to run or incur the risk of one’s life, adire vitae or capitis periculum; mortis periculo se committere: to be at the risk of one’s life, in capitis or vitae periculum vocatum esse, ad mortis periculum adductum esse (of an accused person): in praecipiti esse (of a sick person). To run a risk, periculum subire; fortunae se committere.
risk
aliquid in aleam dare: ire in aleam alicujus rei (to peril or risk anything): aliquid audere (to dare anything): periculum alicujus rei or in aliqua re facere; aliquid tentare, experiri, periclitari (to try one’s luck in a dangerous business). (The words are found in this connection and order.) experiri et periclitari: one’s life, committere se periculo mortis: adire vitae or mortis periculum: to risk one’s life on anybody’s behalf, vitae or capitis periculum pro aliquo subire; inferre se in periculum capitis atque in vitae discrimen pro aliquo; vitae dimicationem subire pro aliquo: not to refuse to risk one’s life for anybody, pro aliquo vitae dimicationem non profugere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for risk?
- The usual Latin words for “risk” are ālea, perīculum, discrīmen; also vīta, experior, perīclitor. 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.