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"risk" in seven languages

Meaningrisk

Spanish

riesgo

/ˈrjesgo/

masc.other source · of disputed origin (perhaps risco 'crag', or from Italian)

French

risque

/ʁisk/

masc.borrowed · Italian risco

Italian

rischio

/ˈriskjo/

masc.inherited

Older risico, risco.

Portuguese

risco

/ˈhisku/

masc.other source · of disputed origin (perhaps from Italian, like Spanish riesgo)

Romanian

risc

/risk/

neut.borrowed · French risque

Catalan

risc

/risk/

masc.borrowed · Italian risco

English

risk

/ɹɪsk/

from Latin/French · French risque, from Italian

English → ItalianriskrischioCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The ancestor

Old Italian risico, risco‘hazard (a merchants' and sailors' word; deeper origin disputed)’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

A word of medieval sea trade, first at home in Italy and lent to French and English; where Italian got it (Latin, Greek and Arabic have all been proposed) is disputed. Spanish and Italian 'run' a risk; French 'takes' one, like English.

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In a sentence

  • esNo quiero correr ese riesgo.
  • frJe ne veux pas prendre ce risque.
  • itNon voglio correre questo rischio.
  • ptNão quero correr esse risco.
  • roNu vreau să-mi asum riscul ăsta.
  • caNo vull córrer aquest risc.
  • enI don't want to take that risk.

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