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risk

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risk

[risk]
–noun
1. exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance: It's not worth the risk.
2. Insurance.
a. the hazard or chance of loss.
b. the degree of probability of such loss.
c. the amount that the insurance company may lose.
d. a person or thing with reference to the hazard involved in insuring him, her, or it.
e. the type of loss, as life, fire, marine disaster, or earthquake, against which an insurance policy is drawn.
–verb (used with object)
3. to expose to the chance of injury or loss; hazard: to risk one's life.
4. to venture upon; take or run the chance of: to risk a fall in climbing; to risk a war.
5. at risk,
a. in a dangerous situation or status; in jeopardy: families at risk in the area of the weakened dam.
b. under financial or legal obligation; held responsible: Are individual investors at risk for the debt part of the real estate venture?
6. take or run a risk, to expose oneself to the chance of injury or loss; put oneself in danger; hazard; venture.

Origin:
1655–65; < F risque < It risc(hi)o, of obscure orig.


risker, noun
riskless, adjective


1. venture, peril, jeopardy. 3. imperil, endanger, jeopardize. 4. chance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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risk   (rĭsk)   
n.  
  1. The possibility of suffering harm or loss; danger.

  2. A factor, thing, element, or course involving uncertain danger; a hazard: "the usual risks of the desert: rattlesnakes, the heat, and lack of water" (Frank Clancy).

    1. The danger or probability of loss to an insurer.

    2. The amount that an insurance company stands to lose.

    3. The variability of returns from an investment.

    4. The chance of nonpayment of a debt.

    1. The variability of returns from an investment.

    2. The chance of nonpayment of a debt.

  3. One considered with respect to the possibility of loss: a poor risk.

tr.v.   risked, risk·ing, risks
  1. To expose to a chance of loss or damage; hazard. See Synonyms at endanger.

  2. To incur the risk of: His action risked a sharp reprisal.


[French risque, from Italian risco, rischio.]
risk'er n.
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

risk  (n.)
1661, risque, from Fr. risque, from It. risco, riscio (modern rischio), from riscare "run into danger," of uncertain origin. The Anglicized spelling first recorded 1728. Sp. riesgo and Ger. Risiko are It. loan-words. The verb is from 1687; risky first recorded 1826.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

Risk

The chance that an investment's actual return will be different than expected. This includes the possibility of losing some or all of the original investment. It is usually measured using the historical returns or average returns for a specific investment.

Investopedia Commentary

Higher risk means a greater opportunity for high returns... and a higher potential for loss.

Related Links

Determining Risk And The Risk Pyramid
The Equity Risk Premium - Part 1
The Equity Risk Premium - Part 2

See also: Beta, Country Risk, Eat Well, Sleep Well, Event Risk, Liquidity Risk, Market Exposure, Political Risk, Preservation of Capital, Price Risk, Reinvestment Risk, Return, Risk Averse, Risk Capital, Risk/Return Tradeoff, Systematic Risk, Unsystematic Risk

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Financial Dictionary

risk

The variability of returns from an investment. The greater the variability (in dividend fluctuation or security price, for example), the greater the risk. Because investors are generally averse to risk, investments with greater inherent risk must promise higher expected yields.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: risk
Function: noun
1 a : possibility of loss or injury b : liability for loss or injury if it occurs risk of loss passes to the buyer when the goods are duly delivered to the carrier —Uniform Commercial Code> risk of personal injury and property damage should be placed with the manufacturer rather than the consumer —Case & Comment>
2 a : the chance of loss to the subject matter of an insurance contract : uncertainty with regard to loss; also : the degree of probability of such loss —compare PERIL b : a person or thing that is a specified hazard to an insurer risk for insurance> c : an insurance hazard from a specified cause or source risk> —risk·less adjective
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: risk
Pronunciation: 'risk
Function: noun
1 : possibility of loss, injury, disease, or death risk ofstroke>
2 : a person considered in terms of the possible bad effects of a particular course of treatment risk> —at risk : characterized by high risk or susceptibility (as to disease) at risk of developing infections>
Medical Dictionary

risk (rĭsk)
n.

  1. The possibility of suffering a harmful event.

  2. A factor or course involving uncertain danger, as with smoking or exposure to radiation.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

risk

In addition to the idiom beginning with risk, also see at risk; calculated risk; run a risk.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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