a. Forms: 4 auenterous, -turus, aunterous, -trous, -trose, -tres, awntrouse, anterous, -trus; 4–5 awnterows; 4–6 auntrus; 5 auenturouse, aventrous; 6– adventurous. [a. OFr. aventuros, -eus, mod. aventeureux, f. aventure: see ADVENTURE sb. and -OUS.]
† 1. Occurring or coming by chance; casual, fortuitous, accidental. Obs.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boethius, I. vi. 28. Þe folie of þise happes auenterouses. Ibid. (c. 1386), Melib., 701. The dedes of batailles ben aventurous … for as lightly is on hurt with a spere as another.
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gawin, 3399. He wald cum at the day, Als aventerous into the place.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., Awnterows, or dowtefulle, Fortunalis, fortuitus.
† 2. Full of risk or peril; hazardous, perilous. Obs.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 921. Þanne seide Alisandrine, ‘auntrose is þin euel.’
1375. Barbour, Bruce, VIII. 495. The auenturus castell off douglas That to kepe so perelous was.
1637. Milton, Comus, 78. To pass through this adventurous glade.
3. Prone to incur risk, venturesome, rashly daring, rash.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, VI. 2186. Ector the eldist, and heire to my selfe, Antrus in armys.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., I. iii. 191. As full of perill and aduenturous Spirit, As to o’re-walke a Current, roaring loude, On the vnstedfast footing of a Speare.
1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, I. 150. They [Griffins] grow inraged and adventurous.
1640. Sanderson, 21 Serm., Ad Aul. xi. 13 (1673), 155. In these doubtful cases it is safer to be too scrupulous than too adventurous.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 921. Bold deed thou hast presumed, adventurous Eve.
1794. Sullivan, View of Nat., IV. 447. This … supersedes, in my opinion, every adventurous criticism … of late thrown upon the early knowledge of the Celts.
1875. Whitney, Life of Lang., ix. 169. We resort to adventurous hypotheses for its explanation.
4. Given to, or having many adventures, enterprising, daring (without the idea of rashness).
c. 1440. Morte Arthure, 1624. Þe awntrouseste mene þat to his oste lengede.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., XIX. ix. I wyll to the toure of Chyvalry, And for your sake become adventurous.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 4. Embattel’d Squadrons and advent’rous Kings.
1757. Burke, Abridgm. Eng. Hist., Wks. X. 253. Five great bodies of that adventurous people, under different and independent commanders.
1853. De Quincey, Span. Nun (1862), III. 95. Lawless and gigantesque ideals of adventurous life.
1861. T. Wright, Ess. Archæol., II. xiii. 17. Perhaps many an adventurous monk wandered over the intervening lands.
