adventure
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ədˈvɛnt͡ʃə/
  • (America, Canada) IPA: /ədˈvɛnt͡ʃɚ/, /ædˈvɛnt͡ʃɚ/
Etymology 1

From Middle English aventure, aunter, anter, from Old French aventure, from Vulgar Latin *adventūra, from Latin adventūrus, future active participle of adveniō ("to arrive"), which in the Romance languages took the sense of "to happen, befall" (see also advene).

Compare Scots adventur, Swedish äventyr, German Abenteuer.

Noun

adventure

  1. (uncountable) A feeling of desire for new and exciting things.
    Antonyms: abstention
    his sense of adventure
  2. A remarkable occurrence; a striking event.
    A life full of adventures.
  3. A daring feat; a bold undertaking, in which dangers are likely to be encountered, and the issue is staked upon unforeseen events; the encountering of risks.
    • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 12, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC ↗:
      He loved excitement and adventure.
  4. A mercantile or speculative enterprise of hazard; a venture; a shipment by a merchant on his own account.
  5. (video games) A text adventure or an adventure game.
  6. (obsolete) That which happens by chance; hazard; hap.
    Synonyms: fortune, hazard, luck, Thesaurus:luck
  7. (obsolete) Chance of danger or loss.
    Synonyms: hazard
  8. (obsolete) Risk; danger; peril.
    Synonyms: jeopardy, Thesaurus:danger
    • 1895, Lord Berners, transl., The Chronicles of Froissart:
      He was in great adventure of his life.
Related terms Translations Translations Translations Translations Etymology 2

From Middle English aventuren, auntren, which from Old French aventurer, from aventure.

Verb

adventure (adventures, present participle adventuring; simple past and past participle adventured)

  1. (archaic, transitive) To risk or hazard; jeopard; venture.
    • 1557, Anthony of Gueuara [i.e., Antonio de Guevara], “Where the Auctoure Speaketh of the Byrthe, and Lynage, of the Wyse Philosopher and Emperoure, Marcus Aurelius. […]”, in Thomas North, transl., The Diall of Princes. […], London: […] [Thomas Marsh for] Iohn Waylande, →OCLC ↗, 1st booke, folio 1, verso ↗:
      So it is reaſon, that wher the citizen aduentureth his lyfe, there the citie ſhould doe him ſome honor after his death.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Acts 19:31 ↗:
      And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.
  2. (archaic, transitive) To venture upon; to run the risk of; to dare.
    • 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC ↗, page 150 ↗:
      Yet they adventured to go back; but it was ſo dark, and the flood was ſo high, that in their going back, they had like to have been drowned nine or ten times..
    • c. 1860, Isaac Taylor, Heads in Groups:
      Discriminations might be adventured.
  3. (archaic, intransitive) To try the chance; to take the risk.
Translations Translations


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