peril
n. C / Un. a state of great danger. You use this word when something very serious or life-threatening might happen.
n. the state of being in serious or immediate danger. Often used in formal or literary contexts to describe exposure to risk or injury.
The hikers were in great peril during the storm.
The captain realized the ship was in peril when the engines failed near the rocky coast.
Environmentalists warn that the delicate ecosystem is in grave peril due to rising sea levels and the encroachment of industrial development.
From Middle English peril, from Old French peril, from Latin perīculum. Doublet of periculum.
Commonly used in the prepositional phrase 'in peril'. When used as a countable noun, it refers to specific types of danger (e.g., 'the perils of the sea').