Imperiling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To endanger or put at risk
2. To expose to harm or jeopardy in a significant manner
3. To create a situation where safety is compromised or threatened

Etymology: "Imperiling" is the present participle of "imperil," which is itself built from two parts: the prefix "im-" and the noun "peril." "Peril" came into English from Old French "peril," from Latin "periculum," meaning "trial" or "danger." The Latin "periculum" came from the root "periri," "to try," so the idea of danger began as the idea of testing something. The prefix "im-" is the Latin "in-," meaning "in" or "into," which took the form "im-" before "p." Attaching it to "peril" produced a verb meaning, roughly, to put someone or something into peril. That sense of driving something into danger is still exactly what the word does today.

Synonyms: endangering, jeopardizing, threatening

Antonyms: protecting, safeguarding, preserving