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Webster 1913 Edition

Adventure

Ad-ven′ture

(?; 135)
,
Noun.
[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.
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.

Ad-ven′ture

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Adventured
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Adventuring
.]
[OE.
aventuren
,
auntren
, F.
aventurer
, fr.
aventure
. See
Adventure
,
Noun.
]
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.

Ad-ven′ture

,
Verb.
I.
To try the chance; to take the risk.
I would
adventure
for such merchandise.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition

Adventure

ADVENT'URE

,
Noun.
[See Advent.]
1.
Hazard; risk; chance; that of which one has no direction; as, at all adventures, that is, at all hazards. [See Venture.]
2.
An enterprize of hazard; a bold undertaking, in which hazards are to be encountered, and the issue is staked upon unforeseen events.
3.
That which is put to hazard; a sense in popular use with seamen, and usually pronounced venture. Something which a seaman is permitted to carry abroad, with a view to sell for profit.
A bill of adventure, is a writing signed by a person, who takes goods on board of his ship, wholly at the risk of the owner.

ADVENT'URE

,
Verb.
T.
To risk, or hazard; to put in the power of unforeseen events; as, to adventure one's life. [See Venture.]

Definition 2024

adventure

adventure

English

Noun

adventure ‎(plural adventures)

  1. 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.
    • Macaulay
      He loved excitement and adventure.
  2. A remarkable occurrence; a striking event; a stirring incident; as, the adventures of one's life.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
  3. A mercantile or speculative enterprise of hazard; a venture; a shipment by a merchant on his own account.
  4. (video games) A text adventure or an adventure game.
    • 1984, Spyplane (review, in Crash, issue 4, May 1984)
      The first thing to strike me about Spyplane was that it is more like a verbal simulation than an adventure.
    • 1988, Mike Gerrard, The Guild Of Thieves (review, in Your Sinclair, issue 29, May 1988)
      To sum up, I think this is definitely one of the best adventures around for the Spectrum now, along with Gnome Ranger […]
    • 1992, Larry Horsfield, The SU Guide to Playing and Writing Adventure Games (in Sinclair User magazine, issue 128, October 1992)
      Before you sit down in front of your Speccy to play an adventure, equip yourself with a pencil, eraser and plenty of paper. This so that you may draw a 'map' of the adventure as you move around.
  5. (obsolete) That which happens without design; chance; hazard; hap; hence, chance of danger or loss.
    • Milton
      Nay, a far less good to man it will be found, if she must, at all adventures, be fastened upon him individually.
  6. (obsolete) Risk; danger; peril.
    • Berners
      He was in great adventure of his life.
Derived terms
Antonyms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 2

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

Verb

adventure ‎(third-person singular simple present adventures, present participle adventuring, simple past and past participle adventured)

  1. (transitive) To risk or hazard; jeopard; venture.
    • Bible, Acts xix. 31
      He would not adventure himself into the theatre.
  2. (transitive) To venture upon; to run the risk of; to dare.
    • Bunyan
      Yet they adventured to go back.
    • J. Taylor
      Discriminations might be adventured.
  3. (intransitive) To try the chance; to take the risk.
    • 1792, Anthony à Wood, The History and Antiquities of the University of Oxford: In Two Books, volume 1, Oxford: John Gutch, OCLC 642441055, page 661:
      The year following the ſaid [William] Warham was tranſlated to Canterbury, at whoſe inthronization ſomething occurred relating to this Univerſity; which though a little out of the road, yet I ſhall adventure to remember it, and it is this.
Derived terms
Translations

References

  • adventure in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Latin

Participle

adventūre

  1. vocative masculine singular of adventūrus

Middle French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Old French avanture, with the addition of a d to reflect Latin adventūrum.

Noun

adventure f (plural adventures)

  1. adventure

Etymology

From Middle English aventure, aunter, anter, a borrowing from Old French aventure, from Late Latin adventurus, from Latin advenire, adventum ‎(“to arrive”), which in the Romance languages took the sense of "to happen, befall" (see also advene).

Pronunciation

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