A predicament is a difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation that is hard to get out of. It often involves a problem with no easy or good options.
“Predicament” originally came from Medieval Latin *praedicamentum*, a logical term meaning “category” or “thing that can be said.” Over time, in English, it shifted to mean a tricky situation—possibly from the idea of being “classified” in an awkward spot.
The word started out as a serious philosophy term and ended up describing life’s awkward messes. It’s a nice example of how abstract academic vocabulary can tumble down into everyday speech and pick up a whole new flavor.
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