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Origin and history of temerarious

temerarious(adj.)

"rash, reckless, heedless of consequences," 1530s, from Latin temerarius "rash, heedless, indiscreet; that happens by chance," from temere "blindly, rashly, by chance" (see temerity). Probably obsolete. Related: Temerariously; temerariousness.

also from 1530s

Entries linking to temerarious

temerity(n.)

early 15c., temerite, "extreme venturesomeness, rashness, recklessness," from Old French temerite (14c.) and directly from Latin temeritatem (nominative temeritas) "blind chance, accident; rashness, indiscretion, foolhardiness," from temere "by chance, at random; indiscreetly, rashly, recklessly;" probably, etymologically, "blindly."

This is reconstructed to be from a PIE *temos- "darkness," source also of Sanskrit tamisra- "dark night," tamsrah "dark;" Avestan temah "darkness;" Middle Persian tar "darkness," tarig "dark;" Lithuanian tamsa "darkness," tamsus "dark;" Old Church Slavonic tima "darkness;" Old High German dinstar "dark," demar "twilight;" Old Irish temel "darkness."

The connecting notion would be "blindly, in darkness," hence "without foreseeing." Compare Latin tenebrio "dishonest person," apparently "person who operates in darkness" (see tenebrous).

temerous(adj.)

"heedless, rash, reckless," mid-15c., by analogy of other adjectives, from Latin temere "indiscreetly, rashly, by chance" (see temerity). Also compare temerarious. Other adjectives in the same sense included temerary (early 15c.), temeritous (1892)

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