Word of the Day

: February 16, 2010

parlous

adjective PAR-lus

What It Means

: full of danger or risk : hazardous

parlous in Context

"Given the fragile state of the economy, this is a parlous time to be making uncertain investments," said the financial advisor.

Did You Know?

"Parlous" is both a synonym and a derivative of "perilous"; it came to be as an alteration of "perilous" in Middle English. ("Perilous" is derived from the Anglo-French "perilleus," which ultimately comes from the Latin word for "danger": "periculum.") Both words are documented in use from at least the 14th century, but by the 17th century "parlous" had slipped from common use and was considered more or less archaic. It experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 20th century (although some critics still regarded it as an archaic affectation), and today it appears in fairly common use, often modifying "state" or "times."