SuaviloquyToday’s word

adventure

Adventure, n.

Etymology: [OE. aventure, aunter, anter, F. aventure, fr. LL. adventura, fr. L. advenire, adventum, to arrive, which in the Romance languages took the sense of to happen, befall. See Advene.]

1. That which happens without design; chance; hazard; hap; hence, chance of danger or loss. Nay, a far less good to man it will be found, if she must, at all adventures, be fastened upon him individually. Milton.

2. Risk; danger; peril. [Obs.] He was in great adventure of his life. Berners.

3. The encountering of risks; hazardous and striking enterprise; a bold undertaking, in which hazards are to be encountered, and the issue is staked upon unforeseen events; a daring feat. He loved excitement and adventure. Macaulay.

4. A remarkable occurrence; a striking event; a stirring incident; as, the adventures of one's life. Bacon.

2 more senses

5. A mercantile or speculative enterprise of hazard; a venture; a shipment by a merchant on his own account. A bill of adventure (Com.), a writing setting forth that the goods shipped are at the owner's risk.

Syn. -- Undertaking; enterprise; venture; event.

2 other Webster entries under this spelling

Adventure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Adventured; p. pr. & vb. n. Adventuring.]

1. To risk, or hazard; jeopard; to venture. He would not adventure himself into the theater. Acts xix. 31.

2. To venture upon; to run the risk of; to dare. Yet they adventured to go back. Bunyan, Discriminations might be adventured. J. Taylor.

Adventure, v. i.

To try the chance; to take the risk. I would adventure for such merchandise. Shak.

Shades of meaning

Fernald has no entry of its own for adventure; he lists it under accident.

Where he writes about it:

An adventure is that which may turn out ill, a misadventure that which does turn out ill. — from accident