periclitate

P3E1R1I1C3L1I1T1A1T1E1

verb

To endanger.

OriginLatin periclitari →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

verbpericlitate (third-person singular simple present periclitates, present participle periclitating, simple past and past participle periclitated)

present singular third person periclitates · participle present periclitating · participle past periclitated · past periclitated

  1. obsoleteTo endanger.

    And why so many grains of calomel? santa Maria! and such a dose of opium! periclitating, pardi! the whole family of ye, from head to tail.

    1765, Laurence Sterne, The Life & Opinions of Tristram Shandy, volume 8, Penguin, published 2003, page 491

Origin

  1. Latinpericlitari
  2. Englishpericlitate

From the past participle stem of Latin periclitari, from periculum (“experiment, risk”). Compare peril.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

periclitate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periclitate

MLA

“periclitate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periclitate. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “periclitate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periclitate.

Source: periclitate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.