parlous

the word 'parlous' presents a fascinating case of linguistic erosion and reformation. it originated as a colloquial middle english variant of 'perilous', a word borrowed from old french 'perillos'. the old french term descended from latin 'perīculōsus', an adjective meaning 'dangerous' or 'full of risk', derived from the noun 'perīculum' (danger, trial, experiment). the phonetic shift from 'perilous' to 'parlous' involved the common linguistic process of syncope, where the unstressed middle vowel was dropped. while 'parlous' was once standard, it eventually became archaic and was largely supplanted by 'perilous' in modern usage, though it survives with a slightly archaic or literary flavor, often implying a sense of extreme or cleverly dangerous circumstances.

this word is a simplex form. it is a middle english variant of the word 'perilous', which itself derives from old french 'perillos'. the old french term originates from latin 'perīculōsus', meaning 'dangerous', which is based on 'perīculum' (danger, trial).