Periling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To put individuals or items in a position where they face potential harm or distress
2. To create circumstances that may endanger people or objects while exposing them to the likelihood of injury or loss
3. Causing someone or something to be at risk of harm or damage

Etymology: "Periling" is the present participle and gerund of "peril," so its history is really the history of the verb's root. "Peril" came into Middle English from Old French "peril," which in turn descends from Latin "periculum," meaning trial, test, or danger. The Latin noun was built on the root "experiri," to try or test, which is also the ancestor of "experience" and "experiment," so the same idea of testing something lies behind a danger and a laboratory trial alike. English "peril" is a doublet of "periculum," meaning it reached English through a different route from the same Latin source as the Latin word itself would have, producing a form that feels more familiar in English. The sense of risk narrowed over time from the general idea of a trial toward the specific idea of harm or threat, and the verb "to peril" carries that meaning forward into the act of exposing someone or something to such a threat.

Synonyms: endangering, jeopardizing

Antonyms: protecting, safeguarding