Parlously

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that indicates extreme peril or instability
2. Done in a manner that involves significant jeopardy or precariousness
3. In a manner that shows a high level of danger or uncertainty

Etymology: "Parlous" is itself a contraction: it comes from "perilous," and the first syllable was clipped away over the centuries, leaving a word that kept the danger but lost the weight of its longer form. Adding the adverbial ending "-ly" to that shortened adjective gives "parlously," a word that describes doing something in a precarious or dangerous state. The adjective that "parlously" is built on is the older, more familiar one, and the adverb follows the regular English pattern of turning an adjective into an adverb by adding "-ly." The result is a plain formation, so the most interesting part of the story is the shortening of "perilous" that produced the base word in the first place.

Synonyms: extremely, very, dangerously

Antonyms: safely, harmlessly