Putting someone or something in danger or risk of harm; making something vulnerable to injury or loss.
From the prefix 'en-' meaning 'to cause,' plus 'danger,' which comes from Old French 'dangier' meaning 'power' or 'dominion.' The meaning shifted to mean being in someone's power/at risk.
The word 'danger' originally meant being in someone's power or dominion—like you were in danger of their authority! So 'endangering' someone meant putting them under threat of someone else's power, showing how Medieval power dynamics shaped our language.
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