Word of the Day

: June 15, 2008

jeopardize

verb JEP-er-dyze

What It Means

: to expose to danger or risk : imperil

jeopardize in Context

"I'm not willing to jeopardize my friendship with Camille by lying to her," said Luis.

Did You Know?

It may be hard to believe that "jeopardize" was once controversial, but in 1870 a grammarian called it "a foolish and intolerable word," a view shared by many 19th-century critics. The preferred word was "jeopard," which first appeared in print in the 14th century. (The upstart "jeopardize" turned up in 1582.) In 1828, Noah Webster himself declared "jeopardize" to be "a modern word, used by respectable writers in America, but synonymous with 'jeopard,' and therefore useless." Unfortunately for the champions of "jeopard," "jeopardize" is now much more popular. In fact, it's been about a hundred years since anyone has raised any serious objections to "jeopardize."