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jeopardy

 - 4 dictionary results

jeop⋅ard⋅y

  [jep-er-dee]
Use jeopardy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -dies.
1. hazard or risk of or exposure to loss, harm, death, or injury: For a moment his life was in jeopardy.
2. peril or danger: The spy was in constant jeopardy of being discovered.
3. Law. the danger or hazard of being found guilty, and of consequent punishment, undergone by criminal defendants on trial.
Origin:
1200–50; ME j(e)uparti, joupardi(e), j(e)upardi(e) < AF, OF: lit., divided game or play, hence, uncertain chance, problem (in chess or love), equiv. to j(e)u play, game (< L jocus joke ) + parti, ptp. of partir to divide; see party

Synonyms:
1, 2. See danger.

Antonyms:
1, 2. security.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To jeopardy
jeop·ard·y   (jěp'ər-dē)   
n.   pl. jeop·ard·ies

  1. Risk of loss or injury; peril or danger.

  2. Law A defendant's risk or danger of conviction when put on trial.


[Middle English juperti, from Old French jeu parti, even game, uncertainty : jeu, game (from Latin iocus, joke, game; see yek- in Indo-European roots) + parti, past participle of partir, to divide (from Latin partīre, from pars, part-, part; see part).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

jeopardy 
c.1300, ioparde (13c. in Anglo-Fr.), from O.Fr. jeu parti, lit. "a divided game, game with even chances," from jeu "a game" (from L. jocus "jest") + parti, pp. of partir "to divide" (see part). Originally "a stratagem," sense of "danger, risk" is c.1374.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: jeop·ar·dy
Pronunciation: 'je-p&r-dE
Function: noun
1 : exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or injury
2 : the danger of conviction that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense —see also DOUBLE JEOPARDY
NOTE: Jeopardy attaches, or comes into effect for double jeopardy purposes, when a jury is sworn in or, in a non-jury trial, when the judge begins to hear evidence. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids double jeopardy for the same offense, and this applies whether the first trial ends in acquittal, conviction, or a mistrial. If a mistrial occurs due to a manifest necessity or if a defendant appeals a conviction, however, the rule against double jeopardy does not apply. The issue of manifest necessity is determined by the trial judge and, if necessary, by an appeals court.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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