hazard

pronunciation

How to pronounce hazard in British English: UK [ˈhæzəd] word uk audio image

How to pronounce hazard in American English: US [ˈhæzərd] word us audio image

Noun:

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
an obstacle on a golf course
Verb:

put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation
put at risk
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

Word Origin

hazard: hazard: [13] The word hazard was introduced to English as the name for a game played with dice. It was borrowed from Old French hasard, which came via Spanish azar from Arabic azzahr, earlier al-zahr ‘luck, chance’. Its associations were thus from the first with ‘uncertainty’, and its central modern sense ‘danger’ did not develop until the 16th century.

hazard (n.): c. 1300, name of a game at dice, from Old French hasard, hasart "game of chance played with dice," also "a throw of six in dice" (12c.), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Spanish azar "an unfortunate card or throw at dice," which is said to be from Arabic az-zahr (for al-zahr) "the die." But this is doubtful because of the absence of zahr in classical Arabic dictionaries. Klein suggests Arabic yasara "he played at dice;" Arabic -s- regularly becomes Spanish -z-. The -d was added in French through confusion with the native suffix -ard. Sense evolved in French to "chances in gambling," then "chances in life." In English, sense of "chance of loss or harm, risk" first recorded 1540s.

hazard (v.): "put something at stake in a game of chance," 1520s, from Middle French hasarder "to play at gambling, throw dice" (15c.), from hasard (see hazard (n.)). Related: Hazarded; hazarding.

3. Needless to say , this is a hazard , and not just for those at the wheel .