"anything that causes injury, anything that harms or is likely to harm; a malady or disease; conduct contrary to standards of morals or righteousness," Old English yfel (see evil (adj.)).

1680s, "expose to chance of injury or loss," from risk (n.), or from French risquer, from Italian riscare, rischaire, from the noun. By 1705 as "venture upon, take the chances of." Related: Risked; risks; risking.

also safe-keeping, "act of preserving in safety or keeping from injury or escape," early 15c., from safe (adj.) + verbal noun from keep (v.). The verb safekeep is a back-formation (by 1966).

early 15c., "incapacity;" mid-15c., "any harm or injury," from Old French détriment or directly from Latin detrimentum "a rubbing off; a loss, damage, defeat," from past-participle stem of detere "to wear away," figuratively "to weaken, impair," from de "away" (see de-) + terere "to rub, wear" (from PIE root *tere- (1) "to rub, turn"). Meaning "that which causes harm or injury" is from c. 1500.

1590s, "act of doing or producing evil," from French maleficence or directly from Latin maleficentia "an evildoing, mischievousness, injury," from maleficus "wicked" (see malefic). Sense of "malefic character" is by 1796.

"cause damage to, hurt, injure, harm," early 14c., from Old French damagier, from damage "loss caused by injury" (see damage (n.)). Related: Damaged; damaging.

Old English wund "hurt, injury, ulcer," from Proto-Germanic *wuntho (source also of Old Saxon wunda, Old Norse und, Old Frisian wunde, Old High German wunta, German wunde "wound"), perhaps from PIE root *wen- (2) "to beat, wound."

"unwholesome, harmful," c. 1500, noxius, from Latin noxius "hurtful, injurious," from noxa "injury, hurt, damage entailing liability" (related to nocere "to hurt," and to nex "slaughter"), from PIE *noks-, from root *nek- (1) "death." Related: Noxiously; noxiousness.