risky
UK[ˈrɪski]US[ˈrɪski]
adj
involving the possibility of something bad or unpleasant happening; dangerous
adj
(of a financial investment) involving a high chance of loss
Morpheme Breakdown
risk
y
risk
noun
y
adjective-forming suffix
Etymology
The word 'risky' is a relatively modern English formation, built upon the earlier noun 'risk', which entered English in the 17th century. 'Risk' itself has a complex journey, likely borrowed from French 'risque', which came from Italian 'rischio', a term used in maritime trade to denote the chance of encountering danger or loss at sea. The suffix '-y' is a productive Old English adjectival suffix, added to nouns to create descriptive words like 'sunny', 'windy', or 'risky'. Therefore, 'risky' literally means "characterized by risk," directly linking the concrete historical concept of peril, especially in navigation and commerce, to the modern abstract sense of any action involving potential danger or loss.
Analysis
Structure: risk (noun) + y (adjective-forming suffix)
- risk: Likely from Italian 'risco' or 'rischio', meaning 'danger'. Its ultimate origin is uncertain but may be from Arabic 'rizq' (provision, fortune) or Latin 'resecare' (to cut off).
- y: A native English suffix of Germanic origin, used to form adjectives meaning "characterized by; full of; inclined to."
Examples
Investing all your savings in a single startup is a very risky strategy.
The path along the cliff edge is too risky to walk in the dark.
Surgeons often have to make risky decisions under immense pressure.