Pernicious and perilous have different etymologies and meanings

Pernicious is an adjective that comes from Latin perniciōsus meaning “destructive”, which is derived from perniciēs meaning “ruin, death”.?A possible way to remember this word is to associate it with poison (which sounds similar to pernicious) and think of something that causes harm or death in a subtle or gradual way.

Pernicious has two main meanings:?

1) causing much harm in a subtle way;?

2) causing death or injury; deadly.?

Here are some example sentences using pernicious with different meanings and explanations:

• The pernicious influence of fake news can undermine democracy and public trust.

  (The harmful effect of false information can be subtle but damaging.)

• Smoking has a pernicious impact on your health and well-being.

  (Smoking has a harmful and destructive impact on your health and well-being.)

• Pernicious anemia is a condition where the body cannot make enough red blood cells due to vitamin B12 deficiency.

  ?(Pernicious anemia is a potentially fatal condition where the body cannot make enough red blood cells due to vitamin B12 deficiency.)

• The snake’s bite was pernicious and caused his death within hours.

  (The snake’s bite was deadly and caused his death quickly.)

Perilous is an adjective that comes from Old French perilleus meaning “dangerous”, which is derived from Latin periculosus meaning “dangerous, hazardous”, which is related to Latin periculum meaning “a danger, attempt, risk”.?A possible way to remember this word is to associate it with peril (which shares the same root) and think of something that is risky or hazardous.

Perilous means dangerous, full of peril. Here are some example sentences using perilous with different meanings and explanations:

• Climbing Mount Everest is a perilous adventure that requires courage and skill.

  (Climbing Mount Everest is a dangerous adventure that involves risk and challenge.)

• He escaped from the burning building by a perilous leap through the window.

  (He escaped from the burning building by a risky jump through the window.)

• The refugees faced many perilous journeys across war-torn countries.

  (The refugees faced many dangerous journeys across countries affected by war.)

• The sege perilous was the seat reserved for the knight who should achieve the quest of the Grail in Arthurian romances.?

  (The sege perilous was the seat reserved for the knight who should achieve the difficult and noble task of finding the Grail in Arthurian stories.)

Peril comes from Latin perīculum, which means “an attempt, trial, experiment; risk, danger”?.?It is related to the Proto-Indo-European root *per- (3), which means “to try, risk”?.?Some words that share this root are empiric, experience, experiment, expert and pirate?.

A possible way to remember peril is to associate it with pirate. Pirates are people who try risky things and face many dangers. Peril and pirate both start with P and have five letters. You can imagine a pirate saying “Ahoy matey! Do you dare to join me in this perilous adventure?” ?????