Where Does “Hazard” Come From? The Arabic Dice That Became an English Risk
“Hazard” comes from the Arabic az-zahr (the dice — literally “the flower,” from the markings on dice). The word entered Spanish as azar (chance, accident) and then Old French as hasard — a dice game that Crusaders learned in the Middle East and brought back to Europe. The dice game became a general term for chance, and chance became a term for risk.