riskiness
UK[ˈrɪsk.i.nəs]US[ˈrɪsk.i.nəs]
n
The fact or quality of being full of risk or danger; the likelihood of something bad or unpleasant happening.
Morpheme Breakdown
risk
i
ness
risk
noun
i
connective
ness
noun suffix
Etymology
The core noun 'risk' entered English in the 17th century from French 'risque', which itself derived from Italian 'rischio', likely of Arabic origin from 'rizq' meaning 'fortune' or 'sustenance'. The semantic journey transformed the idea of 'what the future may bring' into the specific modern sense of 'exposure to danger'. The suffix '-ness', of ancient Germanic origin, is one of the most productive in English for forming abstract nouns from adjectives. By attaching '-ness' to the adjectival form 'risky' (itself 'risk' + '-y'), the word 'riskiness' was created to formally denote the abstract state or quality of being risky, encapsulating the degree of peril or uncertainty involved.
Analysis
Structure: risk (noun) + i (connective) + ness (noun suffix)
- risk: From Italian 'risco' or 'rischio', meaning 'danger'. Functions as the core noun root.
- i: A connective vowel, often used to join a root to a suffix in English word formation.
- ness: From Old English '-nes(s)', a noun-forming suffix indicating a state, quality, or condition.
Examples
The riskiness of the investment made many potential buyers hesitant.
Engineers must carefully assess the riskiness of the proposed construction method.
The report highlighted the financial riskiness of the company's aggressive expansion strategy.