Pre*ca"ri*ous (?), a. [L.
precarius obtained by begging or prayer, depending on request
or on the will of another, fr. precari to pray, beg. See
Pray.] 1. Depending on the will or
pleasure of another; held by courtesy; liable to be changed or lost at
the pleasure of another; as, precarious privileges.
Addison.
2. Held by a doubtful tenure; depending on
unknown causes or events; exposed to constant risk; not to be depended
on for certainty or stability; uncertain; as, a precarious
state of health; precarious fortunes. "Intervals of
partial and precarious liberty." Macaulay.
Syn. -- Uncertain; unsettled; unsteady; doubtful; dubious;
equivocal. -- Precarious, Uncertain. Precarious
in stronger than uncertain. Derived originally from the Latin
precari, it first signified "granted to entreaty," and, hence,
"wholly dependent on the will of another." Thus it came to express the
highest species of uncertainty, and is applied to such things as
depend wholly on future casualties.
-- Pre*ca"ri*ous*ly, adv. --
Pre*ca"ri*ous*ness, n.
