jeopardy
/ˈdʒɛpədi
/noun [mass noun]
1Danger of loss, harm, or failure: the whole peace process is in jeopardy...
- But his plans are put in jeopardy when he meets an equally competitive female player.
- In jeopardy are the achievements of a quarter of a century of dogged work to establish a strong, peaceful British Muslim community.
- The allegations have put her career and her five medals from the 2000 games in jeopardy.
Synonyms
danger, peril;
at risk;
endangerment, imperilment, insecurity;
perilousness, riskiness, precariousness, uncertainty, instability, vulnerability, threat, menace
1.1 Law Danger arising from being on trial for a criminal offence.Any unfair jeopardy to the Claimant should be dealt with if it arises....
- The certificate further describes the jeopardy that could arise from disclosure.
- Under the circumstances, he would have placed himself in serious legal jeopardy, however he answered the question.
Origin
Middle English iuparti, from Old French ieu parti '(evenly) divided game'. The term was originally used in chess and other games to denote a problem, or a position in which the chances of winning or losing were evenly balanced, hence 'a dangerous situation'.
The early spelling of jeopardy was iuparti. The word comes from Old French ieu (modern jeu) parti ‘an evenly divided game’, and was originally used in chess and similar games to mean a problem or position in which the chances of winning or losing were evenly balanced. This led to the modern sense ‘a dangerous situation’ and the legal use ‘danger arising from being on trial for a criminal offence’.